Insomniac in the Arms of Morpheus by Selma Martin

 

“In the arms of Morpheus”

by Sir William Ernest Reynolds Stephens

Insomniac in the Arms of Morpheus

Tuned in to poetry, I fall asleep in the

dullest room no one ever slept in. 
Separated from the other rooms of
the lively house by a walkway,

overlooking the stairway and front door,
my husband's calm room blooms
with fishing rods and storage crates 
holding important hobby gear.

Years ago, an old table was brought in to 

"complete" the room; I needed a place to
store a few books and sundries that
hadn't earned a proper place to exist.

But the room has morphed; cleared to make
it cozy for a semi-double bed for the growing
family. The dullest room with north-facing
ventilation, perfect light, and sound screens 

has new potential, I conked out there last night—
windows open. I never knew about the calm, never
knew about the doves, or about the crow perched

on the neighbor’s roof that has conversations with them.

Their sophisticated interaction— yes, imagine! 
I cannot believe I didn't know that two doves
and a crow can be sophisticated. Did you? Well,
I arose feeling refreshed even before the alarm

sounded. And until this morning, who was to imagine
one such morning was possible under my roof,
in a room that is what this insomniac needed?
A triumphant tryout, a practical test passed...
Now, where will my growing family sleep?

©️ Selma Martin

Selma Martin

Selma Martin is a retired English teacher with 20 years of experience teaching ESL to children. She believes in people’s goodness and in finding balance in simple living. She lives in Japan with her husband of 35 years. In 2018, Selma participated in a networking course that culminated in a final lesson to publish a story on Amazon. She completed the course and self-published her short story, "Wanted: Husband/Handyman," in 2019. Later, collaborating with peers from that course, she published "Wanted: Husband/Handyman" in "Once Upon A Story: A Short Fiction Anthology." Selma has published stories on Medium for many years, in MasticadoresUSA, The Poetorium at Starlight, Short Fiction Break, Lit eZine, and Spillwords. In July 2023, she published her debut poetry collection, In the Shadow of Rainbows (Experiments in Fiction). You can find Selma as selmawrites on Instagram and Twitter, and on her website, selmamartin.com.

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