it’s nine o’clock at night again. some are dressing to go out, not me—too tired.
too tired for anything but sleep, yet, here I sit
writing this poem about being too tired to do anything,
including write this fucking ridiculous poem
or prose or whatever the hell it is.
it’s absurd to fight off sleep like this, like a child fighting the inevitable,
but if I give in now, I will wake at two or three in the morning,
in the middle of the night, flummoxed.
I’ll sit here and drink water (after I pee); wishing I was sleeping.
maybe there’s an unused nightmare out there waiting for me,
to give inspiration or whatever nightmares do for us.
why? tell me why. I want to know why it is that I will try for a few more minutes
to pretend that I can…what? what can I do?
is there a world full of people out there who cannot
or will not do what I can do?
bless their hearts as the conceited among us write away
nodding at the overstuffed closet.
who needs competition from hidden talent?
right here and right now, exhausted with limited cognitive ability to crank
one out by jerking off my brain and spewing words to the page and saying,
fuck yah, man! a poet. I write this sputum. so what?
it turns out that how I feel and what I say, I am—
and you are too—holy shit, that is exactly how I feel!
am I pissed off about nothing? just fucked up and angry
for the very reason of no reason. we need help. are we crazy?
it sucks for me and I’m sorry it sucks for you, but it’s so fucking true.
it’s us. not me alone. not you alone. misery love, love, loves company.
that’s how it works to be human. nothing can save us except writing.
Look both ways. It’s the middle of the night and every form of refuge has its prison.
Mind the gaps and the sidewalk cracks for the want to—the reason of no reason.
Our Literary Journey 
I’m not too far behind you in years, but the sleep thing is getting annoying already. I need another hobby or project and just plan something to fill the time. 4-5 hours a night and tired a lot of the time. I do have a sleep study coming in the mail to see if it can be helped. I did the exact same thing last night that you did. Power through the late evening because I hate getting up at 3
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I am in the same club, lads…. for what little comfort that provides. : )
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Well look his raised up out of the ashes! Nice to see you Frank.
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I wasn’t gunna say that. But it is nice to see him.
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The party begins at 2:00 AM CDT.
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It was the middle of the night…. 🙂
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Wow, Mister Bill. I could have written this myself… a thousand times… but only if I were a better writer! : ) All the best… thanks and peace…. and keep ’em comin’.
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Thanks traveler Frank. I hope all is well.
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I felt that. Raw.
I often fight sleep and have to parent myself. I have no idea why, only that I’ve gotten more parenty with myself over time.
Some moments are utterly alone, and why is it, they’re either unbearably painful, dire and despair, or delicious with solitude and splendor, no in-between?
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Thus, we write and write and write. Good one, Bill.
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Thank you, Kathrine.
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