SLEEP

A queen-size bed, a curtained morning light,
Three figures deep in sleep, father and mother
Facing inward, prostrate a baby brother
Spread-eagle between, their bodies tanned, white

Sheets and skivvies draping, defining the muscled
Thighs and shoulders; dainties adorning the bust
And hips; a diapered homunculus–
The human triad, image primally social.

Did God say three million years ago
“Let there be Sleep”? a daily need for trust,
A daily confession of defenselessness,
A need for mutual caring, and so bestowing

The gift of Dream, exp1oring exper1ence,
Devising reconciling impotence.

(42, August 13, 1992)

Comments

All animals with a brain sleep, see the book “Why We Sleep” by Mathew Walker. Migrating birds will sleep half a brain at a time. Water mammals like dolphins sleep half a brain at a time. The brain burns energy and needs down time to flush waste products and repair.

[John Alvord 12/23/2025]