Though midnight's ship sailed hours ago,
I haven't slept at all.
I watch tree branches in the wind
Dance shadows on the wall.
I crave sleep like a wanderer
In sun-drenched desert places
Seeks water to assuage his thirst
In dry mirage-filled spaces.
Eyes open wide, I find transport
Through memory ablaze
To be with parents once again
In early childhood days.
Insomnia, that thief of rest,
Will steal sweet somnolence
And threaten each arthritic joint
With pain in prominence.
My tangled bedclothes and the fly
That crawls along my nose-
Conspirators of misery,
My restfulness dispose.
Concerns for problems of the day
Are ropes that round me bind.
By worries for the ones I love,
I'm held in close confine.
Consumed by my desire for sleep,
I turn from side to side.
I long for restlessness to leave
And peacefulness abide.
And suddenly I hear some hymns
In nighttime's quietness,
Sung softly with my Shepherd's voice,
That bring my heart to rest.
Then stilled by presence of the Lord,
In silence now I pray,
With knowledge in each circumstance,
Beside me, He will stay
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