Step by step I leave the earth,
The second floor my destination.
As distance from the ground grows,
So too does my drowsiness.
The day’s worn clothes still cling to my body:
A collection of the day’s memories.
Scents, frustrations, and laughter
Only add to the familiarity of my blue sweater,
To the comfort of my jeans.
Climbing into bed, these clothes remain on.
They experienced the journey with me;
Not only are they my companions,
But my last attempt to possess the day.
Lying there, I reflect on all
That has occurred:
Friends, new and old,
The taste of coffee and a bagel,
The sight of my father sitting on the couch
As I walked in around midnight,
The noon of thought.[1]
Some days you want to keep,
While others you don’t.
I want Today.
Yet, escape from sleep I cannot;
Eventually relinquishing control,
I give into the natural forces
Pressuring me to give up the day.
All attempts prove futile as
My eyelids grow heavier
At this juncture of control and vulnerability,
Immediately before an inescapable slumber.
My clothes ground me for one last instant
Before plummeting into my dreams,
A culmination of experiences and desires,
Fading into one another,
Reminding me that I cannot possess time:
We are at nature’s mercy.
As the new day rises along with my eyes,
The slept in clothes no longer
Have the appeal they once possessed.
A new day requires new clothes,
A blank canvas waiting to collect
New memories and feelings.
Ultimately I will never posses the day,
Yet, I will continue to try
As I put on another sweater,
Another pair of jeans: the clothes
That will accompany me to sleep.
"We are at nature's mercy." This is a wonderful line, especially considering Romantic ruminations. And yet, this line could also be read ironically: could it also be that our readings of nature is what make it appear as if we are at nature's mercy? Perhaps what we still neglect to recognize is our intrinsic belonging *to* nature, which, by definition, places "we" and "nature" into synonymous relation. What then does it mean to be at our own mercy? Or, to think otherwise, simply to be?
ReplyDeleteExciting poem... and I particularly like the focus on clothes as a grounding symbol!