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the beauty, the resolute stillness of night
and the absence of a day's wreckage, too
is no consolation for that greater hollow
which yet darkens my countenance
and voids my soul

but in the aches of time, all shall emerge complete
if unfilled then at least whole —
holy, even — under better eyes than mine
more open eyes than mine, heavy under insomnia

so, in passing with the moon,
that complete and empty dawn will arrive by a close of the eyes, a gentle descent to sleep

which is why it cannot come so easily,
lest the waking day illume my solitude
Inspired by 'Good Morning, Midnight' - Jean Rhys. Written before I slept, so I guess I'm a hypocrite.

first of the 'nocturnes' series
Arpitha 3d
It’s 12 am
The struggle is just beginning
I toss and turn
If I can locate the right spot
Maybe I’ll finally fall asleep

It’s 1 am
Music pours into my ears
I try to get swept away
If I can find the right lullaby
Maybe I’ll finally fall asleep

It’s 2 am
Thoughts race in my head
Going over every mistake
If I can think of the perfect scenario
Maybe I’ll finally fall asleep

It’s 3 am
A sitcom plays in the background
I listen to the fake laughter
If I come across something comforting
Maybe I’ll finally fall asleep

It’s 8 am
I don’t know know what time I slept
But I know it is the time
To get up and go to work
And pretend everything’s okay.
Nosy 4d
I toss, I turn.
My blankets—too warm,
then too cold,
like storms across my skin.
My thoughts go.

Never silence—
just a pain burning behind my eyes,
a mind wired
to a clock not built
for this reality.

I get up and circle my room,
Sit down, play a tune,
Write my ghosts onto paper,
Reshape my pillow.

A breeze,
a hum,
a passing car—
all rise like ghosts,
but none loud enough
to drown the ones in my head.

“Please be quiet,”
I whisper to my mind.
But instead,
it grins and says:

“Remember what you did 10 years ago?”
“Wasn’t that moment strange? Embarrassing? Wrong?”

I give no reaction.
I’ve learned:
engagement feeds them.
So I lie there,
Handing off insane,
hoping the ceiling swallows me whole
And take away my pain.

I cannot shut off—
not until I’m lowered, into a silence
Surrounded by the mournful,
deep enough to dull the thoughts,
until I’m sealed away
and my mind finally softens.
will you, won't you
will you, won't you
will you, won't you xchange

reality, we believe, we take agency
we agree aggressive will to cohere,

be here,
on point, first respondent, codefendant,

mental, pause and reflect, what can matter,
what remains unexplained, mere must be there,

dark materials essential for the data we share,
all knowing humans never in history have known,

just, what,
justice, instantiated, on the cross,

wait, face reality, what one man doubts,
another testifies, was what we all must just

believe, like tov ra means nothing more than
good, and evil

and any child can tell the difference,

as if, in reality as made aware we are, among stars,
incredibly arranged in patterns appearing, to us,

as more than any before us could imagine, and we,
first live Earthian sapient writing species, wrote we
lieve be the faith of the ruling majority among us,
as the good books makes many believe, we do, too,
believe that whatsoever and whosover are general
artfully designated pre posed ever what or who
may once upon this very time feel drawn into

the greatest story ever told, on earth, unbeknownst
to any mind let be in Jesus, the fixer of Judaic flaws,

mostly along exceptionalist matters of archeological

reasonings remains from the prophets sawn asunder,
for reasons all Pharisee degrees deny worth under
standing

as if the actual lines attested
to as literal interpretations,
of genuine wisdom manifestations, sought
by the loser, found
by the browser
in ancient cesspits, pearls shat
and left un re discovered
for someday,
someday,
some
day

but likely not this one, this is sleep, not death,
I shut my eyes and think a thanks, truth prevails.
Words wished artful unartful, officially mentally abnormalized... you realize, you did discern some ality re thunk in hunks of burning love. Or not.
Sleep is a funny thing,
A place that’s hard to go.
Will she keep me peacefully,
Or smother me in my woes?

Will it be restful,
Or will I wake up in pain?
Tossing and turning through the night,
Lack of sleep driving me insane.

Sometimes she greets me softly,
With dreams sweet as honey,
Other nights she’s cruel,
Nightmares so real I'd give therapists money.

I lie there counting shadows,
Tracing cracks along my wall,
Begging her to claim me,
As the hours slowly crawl.

Sleep-deprived woman,
Navigating life’s maze-
No time to sleep when
There’s coincidences for me to appraise.

Everything has a purpose,
Can’t rest till I have an answer.
A tough relationship with slumber,
But ****, she’s my favorite dancer.
If I flip the pillow three times and sleep with the blanket upside down maybe then she'd be satisfied
Arpitha Jun 25
I wonder what it’s like
To have a peaceful night’s sleep
To not be scared of the silence
To not be terrified of the clock ticking
My eyes burn with no respite
As I write poems at night
Maybe if I empty my mind
I will finally be able to unwind
My demons laugh at me
They will not let me be
I’m losing my will to continue living
As I lie on my bed writhing.
Nour Jun 28
Bed shaking
stop thinking
it's going to be just fine.

Head spinning
eyes that are just there
and a song for the restless.

Oh what i would do for a pretty brain
it's way too much pain
free me from this cage...
It's growing inside my veins.
Hussein Jun 24
I lay with the stars around me
Most of them passed long ago
Like these thoughts of mine
Scars in the ether of the mind
Each lived a life of its own
Maybe died and was reborn
But as far as you and eye can see
They've left us with a sleepless night
Enchanting as they may be
Like the mesmerizing ripples of the sea
Deep down inside
Bewitched is what's left of me,

Yet up words i shall subside
Clinging to what's left of that mind
Eyes closed fists clenched
Blanket gets heavier the deeper i sink
What's left of my hopeful breath loses
Weighed down by my burdened head

If its rigor that aids the ascend
Then harshly disciplined we shall be
If its misery that makes the steps
Then weeping through it we shall climb
If it's time that runs out like a breath
Than like the stars we shall light up the midnight sky
And if its death that gatekeeps life
Then I am indeed alive.
mysterie Jun 21
trying to sleep without you --
is like the depths of hell
the big fires,
the scary people.

i can't get comfy.
my body burns,
aches even,
it itches
without your warmth.
without your touch.
i feel like --
im burning alive

this is the worst it gets,
right?
unable to sleep alone,
unable to cope alone,
needing you with me,
just to quiet my brain
enough
to finally get
some shut eye.
draft that i finished
date wrote: 21/6/25
finished on: 22/6/25
My shoulders ache, my bones forlorn
I don't recall my acts this morn'


I've purple bags beneath my eyes
My head's in pain from midnight cries

My back–it hurts, my jaw is tight
I know I didn't sleep last night

My demons came to call again
Lying to me about my friends

With weary blinks and bleary eyes
I sit right here and I realize


I don't remember what it's like
To not be so exhausted.
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