How to Sleep

a sestina

Insomnia doesn’t need an excuse

and laughs at your bribes for sleep.
No one understands the gravity

of this, that sleep is natural for all but you.

No matter how dim the light,

Rest refuses to draw close.

 

The day will not be forced to close.

You must relax without excuse,

and your grip must be light.

Eagerness will not result in sleep.

Determination can’t share this bed with you,

leave it and yield to gravity.

 

Beauty is less irresistible than gravity,

confess that you know it’s close.

Feel its intoxicating breath on you,

balmy comfort that seems to almost excuse

this meandering route to sleep.

Emanating warmth, your own ember of light.

 

Sink deep into the bottomless light,

it sways even the authority of gravity.

Patiently inhale this essential of sleep.

Belly and lungs about to burst with it, so close

to breaking. It is not your place to make an excuse,

when you discover that sleep has now come to crave you.

 

If the jolt of crossing the event horizon doesn’t wake you,

with an indeterminably ended fall through light,

you’ll be beyond any excuse.

Released from the cement of gravity,

reality sucked out the door, pulling it to a close.

A white room bare of all but sleep.

 

Yes, you’ve made it to sleep.

The substance of it is not clear to you.

To understand, you move in close.

But there are no regulations for this kind of light,

and it’s like (there is so much that) there is no gravity.

If confused, your senses have a good excuse.

 

You go to bed in the dark, but you’re close to the light—

simultaneously contracted and expanded with gravity.

Try to understand, sleep doesn’t need an excuse.

Reviews

[kaotix]

Reminds me of an semi awakening dream I once had and I was struggling within the dream to wake myself up from that tragedy..to put it in "earthly" wordage, the gravitational pull literally from ear to ear in my head gave me a migraine the whole following day, quite scary yet an enlightening after thought?

Great again

[Murphy]

Oh, I love the theme... this is rather gripping...
"The day will not be forced to close. You must relax without excuse, and your grip must be light."
I just love the way you worded this! I never seen insomnia from that angle... this is a very practical piece.
Tonight I shall loosen my grip...

[R J Askew]

Respect! I have thought of trying a sestina, but never got very far with one. I find the pattern just toooo much to cope with. I like the vilanelle, but the sestina terrifies me! Having said that I like the 39 line format which has a weighty feel to it and allows real development of a theme, but having to keep going back to the six words seems to be restrictive. but i like the theme you have chosen here. it is timeless and fascinates...I can imagine you sitting up deep into the night putting the finishing touches to your sestina. Though I am a bit wary of sestina's i like reading them as they are like a high diving board that I have not had the nerve to climb. Yours is a good one.

[THERISA]

A very beautiful poem, which intertwines the concepts of light and sleep, with gravity. Challenging us, in the way that the reader views these concepts. Also, very truly, that the more we struggle to get to sleep, the harder it is. Know all too well, how this can affected by depression and anxiety.

[Glen Fitch]

Bravo,

Gravity is not an easy one to work into the pattern.

You know sleeplessness.

Thank you for tipping me off to this.

I will check out more of your work

Glen

[The Elder Pine]

Very nice form, I really liked how you used it. I liked the content of this piece as well. The idea was well done and progressed well. I think that there could be a deep dual meaning to this piece as well, I really think it adds something to the overall affect of your work well done.

"Insomnia doesn't need an excuse
and laughs at your bribes for sleep.
No one understands the gravity
of this, that sleep is natural for all but you.
No matter how dim the light,
Rest refuses to draw close.

The day will not be forced to close.
You must relax without excuse,
and your grip must be light.
Eagerness will not result in sleep.
Determination can't share this bed with you,
leave it and yield to gravity.

Beauty is less irresistible than gravity,
confess that you know it's close.
Feel its intoxicating breath on you,
balmy comfort that seems to almost excuse
this meandering route to sleep.
Emanating warmth, your own ember of light.

Sink deep into the bottomless light,
it sways even the authority of gravity.
Patiently inhale this essential of sleep.
Belly and lungs about to burst with it, so close
to breaking. It is not your place to make an excuse,
when you discover that sleep has now come to crave you.

If the jolt of crossing the event horizon doesn't wake you,
with an indeterminably ended fall through light,
you'll be beyond any excuse.
Released from the cement of gravity,
reality sucked out the door, pulling it to a close.
A white room bare of all but sleep.

Yes, you've made it to sleep.
The substance of it is not clear to you.
To understand, you move in close.
But there are no regulations for this kind of light,
and it's like (there is so much that) there is no gravity.
If confused, your senses have a good excuse.

You go to bed in the dark, but you're close to the light-
simultaneously contracted and expanded with gravity.
Try to understand, sleep doesn't need an excuse."