W

Awake when I would have been sleeping

You’re pale at foot-end of my bed

I snub you, cling tight to my pillow

Hoping dream signal’s misread

.

Dark, dull drone of night in far distance

Offers no shelter, no lies

Sleepless blankets no comfort

Can’t keep out the glow of your eyes

.

I know chants, I’ve learnt meditation

Beautiful memories shared

A shake of your head sends them fleeing

This time is your time, you’re prepared

.

Dread of too late, no way back now

Horror of prices unpaid

Fear of un-trodden pathways

Unfulfilled plans that I laid

.

Imagine the pigments of difference

Shades of alternative lives

Colours, hidden in daylight

Stand bright in the darkness of night 

.

Kampala 2018