Sleepless Nights

In the solitude of her room
she lies awake. Images
both good and bad fill her
mind. Questions unanswered
creep up.
--
Somewhere a child is crying
for their mother. A wife for
her husband. And a father
for his son. But here, in
her room, it is silent.
--
The soft buzzing of a fan and
the slight flickering of posters
in the breeze are the only
sounds she hears.

Many thoughts enter into
her mind. Most only for a
few seconds.

She has to be up in a few
hours. She will regret not
being asleep later.
--
In the open nightly streets
a man is walking. Hunched
over with arms crossed, he
looks tired, unhappy, cold.

His boots are worn, a hole in
the toe. His pants are baggy,
dirty and smell of garbage.

He has a kind face, like one a
grandfather would playing with
his grandchildren. His eyes
are soft, but cautious of his
surroundings.

He walks the
streets alone, night after
night. Hoping someday,
someone will come to
relieve him of his stress.
--
She rolls over onto her back
and stares at the ceiling.
Sighs heavily. She closes
her eyes, waiting for the sandman
to take control of her.

A street lamp flickers outside
her window. She peeks out
and looks at the streets
below. Everything is so still.
So quiet. So… peaceful.
--
A child lies awake in his
room. Tears filling his eyes
as he listens to his parents
yell and scream. The mother
pleading with the father.

This has been going on for
a few nights now. He hugs
his pillow searching for
comfort. He feels alone and
has no one to talk to.
--
She lies back down on
her bed and pulls her covers
up to her shoulders. The soft
blankets warming her body.

Voices beckon her to follow
them into a world of
enchantment. She says
a silent prayer and then
runs to catch up.