How Can I Sleep? Poem by Edwina Reizer

How can I sleep when the nights are long,
too long to be in bed?
The pull of the pen is calling me,
too many words in my head.

There's not enough time. Why waste it on sleep?
too many things to write.
I hear the words call out to me
too often in the night.

But what care I about the time?
It's the words I care about.
For the body when tired can always sleep
and my thoughts would probably doubt

my sincerity to this purposeful quest
to connect my mind with the page.
I have dedicated my waking hours
too often as I age.

How can I sleep when the nights are long,
too long to be in bed?
That can be left for a future time
when I've nothing left to be said.