79. The Lady Sleep

Sleep’s always been a nice one,

never said anything wrong to

me or treated me badly.

She never gave me nightmares when

I wanted sweet dreams

(though she’d often give me

dark, imageless slumber instead)

and she never kicked me with

that shock of falling into

unconsciousness but being

jerked awake by a sense of falling into

nothing

but she just doesn’t talk to me

and though I try to speak to her, she

never replies and

I wonder how she feels about me, really.