His helmet reflects pale lights of dawn His hands grope for his gun Leaving him there He wishes to have fought until his legs became too sore to run His lungs to hot to breathe His gun too cocked to shoot He watches as the new day encroaches He watches as his time in the hourglass closes His legs dig deeper as his arms wrap tighter He whispers soft words of comfort in his ears He lets out a struggled sigh of healing Morning arrives without fears Night swallows him whole A girl back in Boston sheds her tears A dog back in Boston fears alone

In the still of night, I toss and turn, In shadows deep, where dreams should lie, I wander lost ’neath sleepless sky. With heavy lids and weary mind, I search for rest I cannot find.

The night grows long, the hours tick by, I lie awake, alone in bed, Entwined with thoughts that fill my head. In the stillness of the darkest night, Where shadows dance in eerie light.

Whispers echo, from corners deep, A haunting silence, in the hours so steep. So here I lie, in this twilight, so steep, Caught in a trance, where nightmares creep.

Eyes wide open, staring into the abyss, Caught in a nightmare’s relentless kiss. Time becomes a cruel, unyielding foe, Each passing moment, a relentless blow.

Not asleep, yet not truly awake, In this twilight realm, where spirits quake. In shadows deep, where moonlight weeps, I wander lost, where silence creeps.

From forgotten corners they emerge, With silent footsteps, they gently surge. Their presence felt in the shiver down your spine, Their faces hidden, their voices faint.

Through half-closed eyes, they seem to appear, Whispering secrets, instilling fear. Are they real or just tricks of the mind? A prisoner trapped in the realm of the night.

I can hear my head, if the room is quiet By filling the room with words of music I can drown it silent

Words that give my mind a story to imagine Instead of memories that have happened To fall asleep with foreign cognition Unfamiliar visions Because familiarity brings with it a sense of consciousness A sense of awareness

So I listen to the words “Hey there bud, how’d it go last night I saw you at the band stand Lookin Pretty slammed” And I imagine, I’m at a party I’ve never been With faces I’ve never seen Drinks I never drink Dancing to songs I’d never pick

It’s like watching a movie With your eyes closed Except you’ve become so invested in the character That the character becomes you
And before you know it, All consciousness fades Familiarity is extinguished And thoughts are taken over by dreams Uncontrollable dreams

Like the ocean that washes away the sand Into finer and finer grains That finest grain being the raw mind’s wonderland Uncorrupted by racing contemplation Unnecessary concentration The mind breathes, breaking free from your demands

And the ocean? That’s the words That create the visions The password To the closed eye television

The rhythmic patter of rain on the windowpane serenaded me as if nature hummed a lullaby. I nestled deeper into the cocoon of the blanket on my big bed. My eyelids grow heavy and with every breath, I drift further away from reality. My thoughts, once scattered like autumn leaves, now gathered in the gentle current of drowsiness. I surrender into the infinite realms of my subconscious where my mind weaves vivid dreams of kittens and seeing all my loved ones I have lost again.

I try hard to stay conscious. My eyelids fight to close. My body breathes slowly and I can feel myself letting go of the world around me. Darkness starts swallowing me and I can barely see. Finally I dive into the darkness and rest.

One sheep Two sheep Three sheep Four sheep.

I count the pink painted sheep on the walls, pretending they are hopping over the fence. Where they go I do not know, but I hope it’s a good place. Like a land where the grass never ends, and no pests disturb them. Or maybe a sheep’s dream is to live like humans, with wooden houses and their own farm animals. I’m not a sheep, so I cant tell for certain.

Mom tells me the best way to fall asleep is to count the sheep until the task becomes so mind numbingly dull I drift off. But contrary to what she says, I quiete enjoy counting sheep. My mind often ends up wandering, thinking of all the journeys the four little sheep embark in. And then before I realize I’ve spent the whole night awake staring at the walls, the sun peeks in and wakes the world. Its a cruel cycle, like a curse from a story. The boy that never sleeps, with dark circles that make him look like a corpse.

Tonight though, my heavy breath isn’t the only sound echoing through the room.

Dad has been trying to get a local brownie to do things around the farm for weeks. Thats all he even talks about during supper. He told mom that he’s been leaving out food for the brownie, but the “stubborn bastard” refuses to help. I told him to try being nice to the brownie. He told me to shut up.

I know how dad can be, and I feel bad for any creature that has to deal with his persistence. So I left out my leftovers for dinner, hoping he wont place a bad omen in the farm or burn down the place because of dads behavior. And I think it worked.

Just outside the window, the sound of shuffling feet draw my attention. I get out of bed, careful not to make any loud noises.

My feet press against the cold floor, as I tip toe over to the window and pull up the tattered blinds. Just outside the house where the sheep rest caged in fence, a small creatures stares back at me. A brownie.

The hairy humanoid creature is not enchanting to look at like pixies or elves. But he looks just as menacing.

I take a step back, and the brownie grins.

He grabs the plate of food and devours it in the blink of an eye, then chugs it all down with a glass of milk. I gulp.

The brownie, still looking amused, crawls under the fence with the sheep. I furrow my brows. Then, unexpectedly, he kicks the sheep on its rear.

I laugh in surprise as the brownie does it again and again.

I lay back down on my bed, counting as the sheep jump up the fence. Its mesmerizing, and I wonder if this is what my mother told me. Maybe she never meant for me to count sheep on a wall.

My eyelids grown heavy, the sheep becoming a blur in the distance. I watch for as long as I can , before the warm embrace of darkness takes me. I dream of sheep.

As my head rested against my pillow. I slowly rested for sleep. The bed having an imprint of my body.

The peace was quiet. The blanket warm, soft, and silky. The pillow comfy with its case.

‘Goodnight my love’ my mother said. My father nodding me off to sleep. My big sister laying beside me. Her side felt warm, like the suns warmth, curling beside me.

A goodnight kiss, and a fluffy, warm stuffie. I drifted off, Into the sleep full of tranquility.

A nice cuddle buddy, curled in the nook of my legs. My sweet kitty cat, that purred as I slept.

I loved every moment, of this calm summer night. The lights flicker off, The click one of the only sounds, their bright light gone.

I fell asleep, To present the dawn, With a newly rested yawn.

Goodnight to all, And to all a goodnight.

A creased, warm blanket, Eyes roll into the minds plane, Remember nothing,

Sinking. Physically sinking into your position on the mattress. Body molding with pillows and sheets. Head and neck at the right angle, hips supported, back being held just right. Limbs going heavy, jaw relaxing. Cat curled up on your ankles just so. Mentally sinking into the calm blackness behind your eyelids. Drifting away, and not considering it too hard. Allowing that blackness to enfold over you as your sheets and blankets do. No lights, no sounds. Sinking down to peace that may turn to dreams, then back to peace. The cat remolds itself as you shift and sink again. Then it too sinks back into sleep and dreams and peace.

Comfort.

    Darkness.

             Peace.

But what about that one time five years ago? When you said that one really stupid thing?

Whoops.

    It’s 2am.

             Drifting…

Not anymore! Did you think it was that easy? Hi, it’s your brain and I’m going to keep you up.

All.

     Night.
   
             Long.