The Midnight Chase
Poem: Wandering Thoughts in a Sleepless Night
I counted sheep, a thousand strong,
As sleep evaded me all night long.
The stars above, I tried to trace,
Yet none appeared in their rightful place.
Deep breaths I took, slow and deep,
But the air, it seemed, was hard to keep.
It lingered, trapped within my chest,
And oh, how sweet to set it free,
To feel the breath escape at last,
Like chains undone, a soft release.
How strange, I thought, to lie awake,
And ponder sheep and stars and breath —
Such simple things, yet here they are,
Entwined with thoughts of life and death.
I turned to my pillow, soft and still,
And asked it gently, “Bring me sleep.”
But silence answered my quiet plea,
As I twisted, turned, and wrestled deep.
How weary is this endless chase,
For slumber’s gentle, fleeting grace.
As tough as life, as hard as a stone,
To seek out rest and find it gone.
Yet thoughts kept tumbling through my mind,
Like bees that buzz and never bind —
If they were gone, would we remain?
Such questions rise, then fade again.
The brain, a place both wild and vast,
Where cravings hide and wishes last.
I whispered softly to the night,
A secret wish, my heart’s delight.
They say the pillow holds a charm,
To wake you when you need to rise,
But I asked it for a different gift —
To grant the wish behind my eyes.
Yet sleep, elusive as it seems,
Danced away from all my dreams.
My mind, a train that won’t slow down,
Keeps racing through each sleepy town.
How I long to travel far and wide,
Yet here I stay, on the restless side.
So I’ll count the sheep, just one more time,
Until my weary thoughts align.
And maybe then, in the quiet deep,
I’ll find the peace to finally sleep.
