Tired

Tired
By: James Dubeau

Tired
Eyes droop
Under heavy glasses
The sun has risen
But the soul has not
Heavy body
Cannot be moved
From the restful bed
Nevertheless
Work must be done
Worlds must be created
Before the sun has set
Again

Half Asleep

Half Asleep
By: James Dubeau

Long
Slow
Lazy
Movements
One
After
The other
Plodding along
To
A steady
Beat
Only
A half-step
In front
Of
Restful
Sleep

Medicated

Medicated
By: James Dubeau

My eyes grow heavy
On this afternoon
As pen scratches paper
On this dreary day
I need to be up
Active
Moving around
Running around the block
But today
I cannot
Not while this illness
Hangs heavy
Upon my head
Keeping me weighted down
With medications
Unable to move
Unable to enjoy
That which
I typically do
All that I can
Accomplish today
Is writing these few lines
Before nodding off
Returning
To dreamless sleep

Monday Morning

Monday Morning
By: James Dubeau

Eyes hang heavy
Legs are restless
As I sit here
Keeping the desk
From floating away
Slowly seconds pass
Tick
Tock
Tick
Tock
Away the time
Away the morning
Away any desire
To do anything
But sit
Staring off
Into space

Forgiveness?

Forgiveness?
By: James Dubeau

As I lie still
My brain is awake
Going over
The instant
It all went bad
I'm sorry
I wasn’t there for you
I’m sorry
I wasn’t your friend
When you needed one
I’m sorry
My shoulder wasn’t there
For your eyes to weep upon
I’m sorry
I laughed and poked fun
When you were hurt
I’m sorry
All that I did
Was selfish
I did not know
Realize
What had been done
Damn
I deserve the hate
Wound up
Inside of you
Target me with it
If you would like
I deserve it
I want it
Go ahead
Don't hold back
You should not hesitate
To give me what I have coming
I know you are just as tired
Of all this as I am
But there are no more reasons
To lose sleep
When we can
Get it out
Into the open
And close this rift
Sure
It looks like
This may take some time
While we sort
Everything out
But that will be time
What we need to do
In order to get
Everything back
To where
It once was
To where
We can be friends
Once again
I will be waiting
And writing
My thoughts
And feelings
Until that time
Is here

Evening Jazz

Evening Jazz
By: James Dubeau

Here I sit
Aching
From head to toe
In this concrete
Box
Of a room
Auditorium really
Bits of wood
Splashed about
Amongst
Seats and stage
My eyes grow heavy
From sandman’s weight
In the darkened room
Until
Applause erupts
With
Dark figures
Filtering though
Taking positions
At brass and wood
Silence
Three beats
Long
High energy jazz
Fills the void
Forcing me to life
Tapping toes
Nodding along
With the beat
Each figure stands
One by one
Jamming out solos
To thundering applause
Before I know it
All is quiet
Save for ringing ears
Once again
Aching
In the empty
Concrete
Auditorium

Lying In Bed

Lying In Bed

By: James Dubeau

Lying in bed

Nothing is said

For I am one

Tired

Road dog

Eyes are red

Heavy with sleep

But my work isn’t done

As I lay here

Pondering about sleep

And dreading the day to come

Unfinished work begins to eek out

From these weary fingers

Something has gotta give

And with a little luck

A muse’s call is answered

It may just be a little something

For tonight

But I’ll take what I can get

And that is all I need

To fall asleep

Happy

When I Blink

When I Blink
By: James Dubeau

When I blink
I can see you
Ghostly white streaks
Rising from my computer
Haunting me
Taunting me
As a blank page
Devoid of words
No ink stains
Or pencil smudges
Crafting prose
Oh no
You are here
To tease and jeer
As I struggle
And think
And lose myself
In this block
That is closing in
Suffocating
Killing me slowly
Through lack of sleep
And malnutrition
Only quick wit
And a cold beer
Can fight
Strangling fingers
As my vision glazes over
With portents of death
In a dull
Gray
Vale

Tired

Tired
By: James Dubeau

Tired in the morning
Tired at night
Tired at the mid day meal
Tired all the time
Tired when the alarm rings
Tired when snooze hits
Tired as I crawl out of bed
Tired driving to work
Tired as fingers grace the keys
Tired as the mouse slides about
Tired on the drive home
Tired while watching TV
Tired while writing lines
Tired while revising
Tired when going to bed
Tired
Tired
Tired
Why can’t I sleep

Close My Eyes

Close My Eyes
By: James Dubeau

Close my eyes
Mind races
Close my eyes
Roommates fight
Close my eyes
Door slams
Close my eyes
Siren blares
Close my eyes
Dog barks
Close my eyes
Light flashes
Close my eyes
Cat meows
Close my eyes
Door rattles
Close my eyes
Alarm sounds
Eyes are open