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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Gone Astray




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Can you figure out my riddle before you get to the end? 


Gone Astray

You elude me
Hidden
My eyes open wide
A thousand thoughts
Swirling

You're chased away
By worry
Stress
Children and work
Extinct

You vanished
The hours stretch
Or rush past
Still I wait
Anxious

You evade me
In the midnight hour
Where you are concerned
I have no power
Gone

So come Mr. Sandman
Bring quiet to my head
Don’t be my enemy
Sleep
Be my friend

Now that my youngest is two, there aren't too many sleepless nights.  You have to understand - this girl would NOT sleep in her crib until she was about 14 months old.  She would sleep fitfully for short bursts in her carseat, but would not lay down in her crib.  We tried everything from rocking her to sleep, rocking her almost to sleep, laying her down awake, a constant routine, changing up the routine...nothing worked.  She had to sit in her car seat, which we would rock, and cry herself to sleep.  At this point, we would EVER-SO-CAREFULLY carry the car seat into the bedroom.  This child wanted a bottle in the middle of the night until she was almost one year old.  She was not an easy baby and sleep was not our friend until she was about 1.5 years old.  

Luckily, we are out of this dreadful routine and are sleeping soundly every night.  Except one night last week.  I went to bed at 11:30...too late, I know, but it happened.  Here is the line-up for the rest of the night:
12:30  feverish five year old climbs into my bed
1:00  finally fall back to sleep
2:00 I got a text - yes, a text! What?!  Ugh - sat us straight up in bed in surprise!
3:00  luckily, I didn't see this hour!
4 o'something  feverish daughter can't sleep, doesn't feel good
5:00 finally fall back to sleep
5:45  worst sound in the world echos in my bedroom
ALARM CLOCK!
6:00  dragged myself out of bed
7:00  leave home to attend staff meeting
In case you didn't notice, 3:00 was the ONLY hour I didn't get to experience during this night.
And that, my friends, is where this riddle poem was born.

8 comments:

  1. Sounds like a bad night. I know how that feels exactly. I enjoyed reading your poem because it is so relateable.

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  2. Hope you get some rest soon. Functioning on little sleep is so hard.

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  3. What a night! It's never good when a child is sick, especially in the middle of the night. I hope rest has returned and nights are quiet. Poems just pop out at the oddest times, I'm beginning to think Betsy has rubbed off on you, so you think in poems too.

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  4. Ugh, those kinds of nights I remember a little bit. Sorry that old sandman stayed out of your life that night, but it also sounds as if he had a bit of help. Hope all is better now!

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  5. I hate it when I see every hour on the clock. Hopefully all of you are sleeping peacefully now as I write this! :)

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  6. I for sure knew the answer to that riddle and have lived it often..sweet dreams tonight!

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  7. Robin,
    I love the way you play with words.
    Ruth

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  8. I hope you don't have to relive this riddle any time soon. What a night!

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