This reflection is part of a collection of responses to the theme: “The View from Here”
By Rose Percy
I’m glad you hear the sound of the sirens
That have been going all night long
They have been keeping me awake for years
I’m glad you are finally asking yourself
And everyone else
Why we have let them ring for so long
They’ve been ringing since before I was born
I’m glad you are now in the same insomnia as me,
Even if a little differently.
Often, I have watched you nod off,
Until the next alarm forces you awake
I have often thought it tender that you can even sneak in a nap in between them
Sometimes I have been able to pretend I am sleeping
Sometimes I’ve been able to make daydreams feel like rest
We may be wide awake together
But we are not the same.
You haven’t started seeing things in the dark yet
Shadows you are trying to make sense of
Movements you are trying to understand—
The night has yet to become a language to you
You still need me to tell you what I see, since your eyes are still adjusting—
Perhaps one day, morning will come and we will no longer have to squint with tired eyes
Perhaps morning will come,
and it will feel good to rest
Even as the day moves on
And so do you
Or maybe
We may never sleep again—
For now, I name the shadows,
Like an Adam made in the night
I’ve been naming these shadows for years,
I’d be happy to introduce you
But as I do, I must confess,
I have given you a name as well
In this long night, you have been called
Newly Tired,
It is not the best way to live
I hope, it is not the only way to live
But so long as we live to long for Day
At least here I am your senior.
Rose Percy is a second year M.Div student and a local licensed minister at Bethel Church of the Nazarene in Quincy, MA. Rose tells stories through poetry, songs and essays about identity, faith and justice. She is the proud plant mom of 15 plants (and counting). You can read more of her work at rosejpercy.com.
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