Lullaby for the awake

Oh, let me close my eyes tonight,

let the world slip out of sight,

but sleep is just a whispered dream

that never stays with me.

I hear the clock sigh through the dark,

each second scratching at my heart,

a lullaby of empty space

where silence takes your place.

The moon is pale, the air is thin,

a hollow hush beneath my skin—

I count the stars, but lose my place,

adrift in time I can’t erase.

My body begs, my mind resists,

every breath a quiet wish—

to fold into the velvet deep,

but all I do is think of sleep.

Oh, if I could drift away,

a feather lost in velvet waves—

but my mind is made of tangled threads

that stitch the dawn instead.