Sandman

Sleep eludes

I dream until it 

-shatters

into a nightmare;

the pounding of my insomniac head

against the flare of streetlights against my eyelids

No blanket is a match for

the weight of her arms

her soul burning beside me.

 

Mister Sandman,

you are a fairweather friend.

You leave me to my own devices.

I don’t even bother

to reach for your side

when I startle awake

anymore

 

Herbal teas, sleeping pills

(no more than the recommended dose

usually), the hum of electrical wires,

an urban lullaby tucked inside my ears.

 

And when I drag myself to sleeping

every dream features a stranger

on the gurney with your eyes,

staring sightlessly into mine