a poem by Shaffaf Tariq, ’21

Awake

Long before the sun rises

Shh

Don’t tell

But I never went to sleep in the first place

 

Cold sheets soothe my scorching skin

As I drink in the glowing moonlight

My eyes burn from the withdrawal of sleep

Or maybe it’s from the flames that never leave

Finding solace in the darkness

Kaleidoscopic visions playing in my head

I live for these moments

Which are mixed in with the unfortunate present

 

No dreams could beat this lovely night

 

Quiet are the birds, now

Perhaps they are asleep

Resting at such an ungodly hour

Like I should be, probably

 

And sleep beckons to me now

Like the ice cream truck lures in the child

My eyelids flutter shut

I can’t fight it any longer

 

And there’s always tomorrow night

And as my once vivid visions turn to whispers

I play tonight’s dreams back in my head

They’ll have to hold me over

‘Till tomorrow