Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Instead of sheep

cutouts from the day,
tomorrow's to-do list,
my choice of outfit,

unlikely romances,
happy endings under
unusual circumstances,

random fears,
the darkness of years,
monsters under my bed,

lines that will never make it to poems,
names for the children I won't have
reasons not to be sad:

A collection of things
on my mind late at night
instead of sheep.

(Shared with The Imaginary Garden)
(Edited four or five times - too much in my head...)

15 comments:

  1. I like the listing effect of this poem, Kenia and I ticked off more than a few in my head as I read. You wrapped it up so well in the final stanza... I long for the days of woolly sheep-like thoughts bouncing aimlessly over a wooden head.

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  2. Anonymous3/05/2014

    Kenia, this was well done and thought out. Could use a bit of tightening but a good read. >KB

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  3. Every phrase here rings true for me, all those random thoughts counted over and over, losing the count, starting again, the whole process exhausting yet wakeful. Excellent writing here, Kenia, and you have totally nailed insomnia.

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  4. The things you count instead of sheep matches mine list matches my list. You've made it into a beauty of a poem, a delightful one.

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  5. Where are those darn sheep when you need them. :0)

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  6. Yes, this is it exactly. I can't turn it off, either.

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  7. words and images instead of sheep. This has a beautiful rhythm to it - plus i identify with the content.

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  8. Lists, lists, lists. Mine is often what I have to do the next day. Sometimes the mind just will not SHUT UP!

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  9. I bless the day I discovered Excedrin PM. It makes that nattering voice shut up.

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  10. Anonymous3/05/2014

    first I read the last line as 'sleep', then read again and saw it was 'sheep', which works even better. ~

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  11. I love this.
    We play a game called "A to Z" when trying to get to sleep. Name a category (foods, four syllable adjectives, Kevin Bacon movies)...then make your way from A to Z through the alphabet, naming things from that category. Does the trick, every time. ;)

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  12. Lists...they do seem to haunt slumber...great take on insomnia

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  13. Yes, I so resonate with this. I tend to read, that always puts me back to sleep!

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  14. mind's the real culprit with its silent noise disturbing that peaceful numbness...great take on the prompt...

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  15. yes, argh. just how it is.

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