************

Oh…nights of misery,
Nights of unrest;
Tossing and turning,
Beside myself…depressed.

All the things that come to mind,
As round and round they go;
Haunting things…disturbing things,
Will they ever stop?…Oh, No!

The mind can run havioc,
Will find no peace at all;
Things that are insignificant,
They really are quite small.

Still, the mind will blow them up,
Anticipating…things never to be;
Give the body no peace,
From these disturbing thoughts…never free.

Why will the mind not shut off,
When the body needs its rest;
Tied up in knots…our stomach,
Causing us great distress.

Toss and turn…and turn again,
Eyes wide open, too;
Oh, what…Oh, what,
Shall this tired body do?

The sun comes up,
To herald …yet another day;
We must get up…to face it,
Yet, in the bed…we'd rather stay.

Get up…we must,
Though only half alive;
Push one foot forward..then another,
Oh, why the need to survive?

It would be…Oh, so easy,
The blankets…up...to pull;
Forget the world outside there,
Do just what I would will.

But they're the things of cowards,
Who shrink…hold back in fear;
Afraid to die…afraid to live,
Full of self-pity and tears.

Our choice…we make it daily,
To get up or remain in bed;
Which one is the hardest,
Face uncertainties…the things we dread?

Or, shall we take a chance,
Perhaps…today really better;
Better than the day before,
Shall we roll over in bed…face it later?

What a dismal way to go through life,
With no purpose and no goal;
A constant downward spiral,
Never climb out of this hole.

Somehow…reversed it must be,
This quagmire that drags us down;
One tiny ray of sunshine,
To send fleeing…that frown.

The sleepless night…not the cause,
'Twas the day's activities;
That began this vicious cycle,
Robbing us of sleep…so very costly.

So, let's get our lives back on track,
Too far off…we did stray;
Let's begin again…set things aright,
And, let's do it…today!

Then, peaceful sleep will follow,
From a day well-spent…rewarding;
With a mind at rest…not harboring ill,
Peaceful sleep shall be a blessing!

********

Dec. 13, 2000

Aimee Love
(LHG)