Imperative

Pull the sheet tight against the vulnerable exposed flesh of your neck. Try not to cut off the circulation of air beneath the covers or the circulation in your neck. Blink your eyes quickly until the spots form a fade causing the night to unravel and reveal the secrets in the dark beyond the haze of night. Remember to breathe deeply in through your nose and back out through your nose. Ignore the squeaking noise coming from deep in your right nostril as it will eventually pass.



Forget the way your boss praised you to the head of the company this morning and then ripped you apart in the afternoon meeting for something trivial. Try to make the image of you tightening his tie tighter and tighter until he starts to sweat the spray on hair down his temples drift away. Watch as the image of light bulb shaped head dim as it burns out in your mind. See it begin to glow again and turn into a soft, fiery sunset. Watch the beach form and the waves come in from nothingness. Hear the birds in the palm trees as you rock gently in a hammock. Realize nothing in the world can affect you here. Know that your job and your bosses are thousands of miles away here.

Feel the wind as it picks up and rocks you faster. Feel the sudden jar of your hammock as it seemingly hits nothing. Note the quiet of the waves and the absence of the birds as the hammock begins to rock normally again. Hear the waves begin to crash again and the birds return to their rhythmic chirping. Feel the jolt of your hammock stop again. Awake to your spouse mumbling to stop making that damn squeaking noise with your noise or sleep somewhere else. Realize the hammock stopped as the elbow made contact with your ribs.

Rub your side to try to avoid the bruising as you move to a seated position on the bed. Strike out with your arms as you stand on unsteady legs in the dark. Rub the tip of your kneecap from the railing you forgot was next to the hallway door. Hobble to the bathroom and reach for a tissue and the light switch. Blink away the temporary blindness from the dramatic light change. Try again to bring the tissue to your nose and blink away the sensation of your finger striking blindly into your eye. Feel the cold of the water as you wash your hands and watch as the site of your hair after three hours of sleep reminds you of a troll doll. Spend five minutes attempting a mohawk in the mirror. Spend five more wiping up the drops of water from the counter and mirror.

Welcome the darkness as you flip the light switch off and walk down the hall towards the bedroom. Draw in a deep breath and fight the urge to swear loudly as you strike the same railing with your other knee. Place your hands out to feel for the bed. Rub your nose after reaching the wrong side of the bed and receiving the business end of your spouse's wayward swatting hand. Make your was around the bed to your side and lie down beneath the sheets.


Pull the sheet tight against the vulnerable exposed flesh of your neck. Try not to cut off the circulation of air beneath the covers or the circulation in your neck. Blink your eyes quickly until the spots form a fade causing the night to unravel and reveal the secrets in the dark beyond the haze of night. Remember to breathe deeply in through your nose and back out through your nose. Ignore the squeaking noise returning to your nostril as it will eventually pass.