struggling to keep my eyes open
and stay awake
when sleep wants me, desperately
sandman tossin 60 pound bags at my face
and the incessant click-clack
of inmate keyboarding
has become the sweetest of soft lullabies
cooing and gently rocking me
a cool breeze ads to the comfort
enticing me to rest –
I catch myself locked into steady breathing rhythms
floating away on daydreams
barley capable of bringing myself back to ‘now’
the only way I am not sleeping on the job
in a most unsafe environment
is the occasional crackle of my radio coming to life
as somewhere in this facility of 3000 incarcerated
and 175 staff members
a shower issue has transpired
giving rise to a steady flow of C.B. communication…
normally this would be an irritant to not only myself
but also the students
diligently trying to accomplish their GED
but today,
it is a welcome alarm
a noisy reminder
to keep my eyes open
my wits about me
and hopefully get to 3 p.m. without being caught
or worse
fired –