The Night Is So Long Poem by Deanna Samuels

The night is so long and sleep does not come easily
Tossing and turning, hours tick by pitilessly slowly
Vague dreams drift in and out with a momentary doze
Gives no relief to heavy tiredness repose
Feeling uncomfortable, another turn, another toss
The body rebels with even more sleep loss
Stretches out limbs to circulate the blood
Retracts gently into a safety foetal hug
Another hour of restless sleep and dreams
Senseless in the waking hours, pondering its means
Memories of a good life now slipped into the past
Laments have eased away, regrets not powerful to last
Perhaps a long-time partner has come and gone
A companion bringing happiness, joy that shone
Each night appears longer without them there
So much distress, the pain at times too much to bear
The mind is restless with more thoughts
There was that moment of decision so fraught
Failed to rise to aid and buried head in sand
So simple now, was just a need for helping hand
Around brain goes thinking of all such failures
Let downs to those beloved, other trivia allures
The night rolls on, the restless body turns thrice more
The mind exploding from sacred sleep denied to fore
A state so much to overcome, the body almost numb
Night darkness mocks endlessly to completely succumb
At last, dawn comes very slowly over the far horizon
The night has eased reluctantly, passed, daylight filters in
Heaviness infiltrates the exhausted being from awake
A deep stupor, an overwhelming tiredness overtakes
The night was so long
An all-consuming deep sleep had come


Written at Richmond Hill, Ontario - 18th February 2020.