night lights

She can’t sleep so she stands at the window, watching lights flicker on and off in other buildings. She imagines it’s all a complicated code that unlocks the secrets of the night.

She thinks about the secrets behind the lit windows, the people who sleep with the lights on because it makes them feel less alone, the people who sleep with arms and legs entwined but still feel adrift and untethered, the people who cry themselves into restless dreams or stay awake to avoid the nightmares.

She wonders about everyone’s secrets because it keeps her from thinking about her own.