Night wanderers

Published on by Laura Bloomsbury 
I also dwell in the land of Nod
where the murderous Cain was driven
days are too long and the darkness disturbed
with cries of the unforgiven 

in this wide-awake turn-about restless space
you can hear the faraway slumbering
an easy sleep in the earth's embrace
coddled and virtually wandering 

body clocks tick off their somnolent hours
by a pendulum swing of the moon
stars look down between meteor showers
- but some of us tap out a different tune 

reach for the switch that casts off night frights
glance at those clock hands, the darkest hour sky
dread full comes daytime with dawn's cursèd lights
bewitched by the second hand watching time fly 

a countdown to sleep lost in vague flocks of sheep
then one breaks away and a search must begin
scouring the thought scape, dredging the deep
unconscious 'til then of the grit of our sin 

I also dwell in the land of Nod
instead of a pillow my head on the block
damned with the others who all ride roughshod
over the face of the midnight blue clock

Opening line from R. L. Stevenson’s  ‘The Land of Nod‘ (Nod=wandering in Hebrew). I’ve used rhyme here as a contradiction and counter to sleeplessness in this poem for the Toad’s prompt: Of Insomnia and Sleep

16 thoughts on “Night wanderers”

  1. I enjoyed this poem, Laura, especially:
    ‘in this wide-awake turn-about restless space
    you can hear the faraway slumbering’;
    and
    ‘body clocks tick off their somnolent hours
    by a pendulum swing of the moon’.

    1. Thank you Kim – I find the rhyme constraining on creativity so appreciate your appreciation

  2. My goodness this is beautifully haunting, Laura! Especially drawn by; “a countdown to sleep lost in vague flocks of sheep then one breaks away and a search must begin scouring the thought scape, dredging the deep unconscious ’til then of the grit of our sin.” I also like the reference to Cain here and your use of rhyme as a contradiction and counter to sleeplessness. You have certainly raised the bar with this poem! Thank you so much for participating!❤️

    1. Your theme awoke some rhyming lines for a change – thank you Sanaa

  4. I like that last stanza, especially. And the idea of searching for that one lost sheep, which is also biblical, of course. Wonderful.

    1. perhaps insomniacs are the lost sheep – certainly they find it hard to follow the herd’s sleep patterns

  5. As I don’t have a poetic bent, and certainly not your way with words, I can only tell you in a mundane manner (I do like alliterations, though, as you know 😀 ) that I love this piece, for reasons I am unable to express…

    1. lovely comment Kiki – thank you – the reader has a right to her reasons (a bit of alliteration for you!)

    1. glad you felt the intensity as was wondering if the rhyme had made it too lightearted

    1. thank you for very nice comment – frustration?yes! I could bite my pillow at these sleepless times

  8. perhaps insomniacs are the lost sheep – certainly they find it hard to follow the herd’s sleep patterns

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