Gentle Sleep Poem by Raj Arumugam

In the middle
of an uneventful week
with miles of disappointment
and circled in endless space of red brown terrain
and even in the middle of unending uncertainty
may you sleep well tonight
may you sleep quiet and tight
undisturbed by your mind
undisturbed by alarms in the psyche
undisturbed by haggard sirens within.
Sleep well and not awake till late in the morning
and not be wakened for a pee or for a drink
to keep the dry burning throat wet
or be wakened by thoughts that have their own
volition
that clamour like crabs in a rattan basket.
May you sleep well and sleep tight,
and rise rested and ready
unsuspecting of a better day.


Let loose
and sleep well;
do not dwell long too much on things that could be
on what you could have done
and must be done;
let go
and sometimes trust in things
to sort themselves out
for the way does
what the will cannot


Do what you can,
let go and sleep well;
do not dwell again and again on
how else you can fight
how else you can control events and
not let them master you
to make meaning out of things nebulous
and out of your control
and why circumstances and events don't
shape and move like they can or should

Sometimes let things sort
themselves out;
for chance works better
than control and order


Let go, sleep well,
take yourself deep into your burrow
so deep nothing can find you
so you can take the rest that will give you
the strength to meet again the waiting
that may leap up again and again
like the ubiquitous kangaroo









(from The Migrant - notes of a newcomer (February 1997- July 1998))