The Late Night Visit

If I find a gap in one of my poetry notebooks that is too small for one of my usual pieces, I like to write a haiku or limerick to fill the space. This is one of those filler poems.

A few weeks ago, I was woken at 01:30 by a loud knocking. This knocking went on for some time and seemed to be coming from my front door! I brushed it off as a lost drunkard but, the next night at 01:30 the knocking was back again, louder and more frantic than before. I thought I might be having a recurring dream, but my housemate heard it too! I have no idea who was knocking or why.

The Late Night Visit

Knocking on the door
What time is it? 01:30
I’m ready to die

Do I have time to update my status to something witty before I am killed?

 

To Fall Asleep

I do most of my travelling by Megabus. It takes longer than getting a train, but you don’t have to make any change overs (usually), the seats are more comfortable, and it’s much cheaper. Those are the reasons I usually give if asked why I choose to travel in this way. The truth is, the main reason I continue to use the Megabus is that it’s such an entertaining way to travel. I’ve seen many strange and/or hilarious things on my journeys. One such experience inspired this poem.

To Fall Asleep

Emphatically
Repeatedly
Agreeing
With sleep

She slipped into a shallow
Megabus shaken slumber
Tumbling over potholes
Swaying with the sudden turns
Until

Gliding sideways
Starting slowly
It only took one sudden bump
To displace her face

Freeze frame
In the split second before impact
She was, in fact
Awake

Just in time to process
Her short lived motion’s impending end
But far too late to escape it

And we’re back
Smack
On the side of my chair
Ashamed, she hung her head
And I hope
Oh, how I hope she didn’t notice
My barely perceptible tremor
As I turned my face away

You should always travel with a V-cushion and a bicycle helmet