Breathless by Billy Collins
Some like the mountains, some like the seashore,
Jean-Paul Belmondo says
to the camera in the opening scene.
Some like to sleep face up,
some like to sleep on their stomachs,
I am thinking here in bed--
some take the shape of murder victims
flat on their backs all night,
others float face down on the dark waters.
Then there are those like me
who prefer to sleep on their sides,
knees brought up to the chest,
head resting on a crooked arm
and a soft fist touching the chin,
which is the way I would like to be buried,
curled up in a coffin
in a fresh pair of cotton pajamas,
a down pillow under my weighty head.
After a lifetime of watchfulness
and nervous vigilance,
I will be more than ready for sleep,
so never mind the dark suit,
the ridiculous tie
and the pale limp hands crossed on the chest.
Lower me down in my slumber,
tucked into myself
like the oldest fetus on earth,
and while the cows look over the stone wall
of the cemetery, let me rest here
in my earthly little bedroom,
my lashes glazed with ice,
the roots of trees inching nearer,
and no dreams to frighten me anymore.
Although there is more to this poem, I am also a side sleeper. As a side sleeper I like to sleep on both sides. Lately this has been changed to only one side. Actually I sleep on my side or on my stomach with my legs forming a 4. Unfortunately I prefer to make the angle of the four with the leg that can't move into that form. Today I've spent most of the day curled up on my couch in slumber.
Today's Kindness
Last night I looked at today's frigid forecast. Jdoc was going to bring Sam over, but I thought it would be too cold. Besides, J was going to stop over later with Hannah. This morning J called to say she was home with puking child. This means I went from two helpers to zero helpers. Although I'm fairly self-sufficient, I need help with ice machine and range of motion, so I called a friend that lives close by. She's coming over this afternoon!
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