I’ve glimpsed her at rest,
Be-robed on the sofa,
Less often in bed,
Head on arms at the cleared kitchen table,
Her face sleep-smoothed,
Yet alive with dreams.
Seemingly deeply away from us,
Yet more wakeful than a cat.
A car in the drive,
Padding feet,
In the bathroom at night,
A window screen loose,
A child’s moan;
And she arises to glide about the house,
A guardian apparition,
To set the night aright.
It is rare to catch her unawares,
To peep at her before she rouses,
From her restful, watchful,
Woman’s sleep.
Paula Lyons, MD
3/4/2003
4 Responses
The vigil of a mother and a wife.
Paula
My dad Sol, your grandfather, use to say “I was asleep in bed on two chairs”
Biggie
Hi, Paula: I so hope my little haiku offering will serve as a thanks for this soulful poem of yours.
“My Flo, who changed worlds,
made the sofa her ‘best bed.”
Guess what? Now, it’s mine!”
luv,
Uncle Marv
Thank you for thinking of me in this calming way. You are special!
Love you,
Mom C.