It was so hard for me to sleep.

If the Creator had not created in us the ability to fall asleep, the world would have been filled with sleep junkies: Men and women and girls and boys who are permanently high on the severe dose of sleep deprivation and yet they cannot sleep.

That is torture. I guess that must have been what insomniacs experience every night. The inability to conjure sleep can be due to several reasons, I learnt. But none of them is in my system.

Neither do I drink wine nor gin; mineral water nor soda water; Umqombothi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umqombothi nor Sapele water.https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Sapele_water

Mercy found me. I do not need any substance to lull me into a deep sleep. Are there other underlying reasons why I could not find my sleep? https://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/sleep-disorders-and-problems.htm

Maybe. Anyway, I am not in the mood to explore those reasons. But, pray, why couldn’t I find my beauty sleep? I did not understand why.

I tossed.

I turned.

I tossed.

I turned.

I sought that elusive perfect spot on my sheets. My bed creaked under my little weight because of the anger with which I tossed and turned. My spouse was quite oblivious to my plight.

She was fast asleep.

Envy enveloped me. I wished it was the runaway sleep that had found me.

My mind was racing. My brain was in a marathon. It was really hard to find the elusive sleep. Gosh! What have I done? Have I sinned? What was happening?

Oh, God, please I need my beauty sleep.

I need my beauty sleep.

I need my beauty sleep.

My mind screamed persistently.

I lay me down and sleep and awake because the Lord sustained me.

I whispered a verse in Psalm 3. My mind was focused on the verse and I must have repeated it a million times before I slipped away.

My spouse stroked my cheek gently until I was awake. She reminded me about the Poetry Marathon.

Oh, I smiled easily as the flood gate opened.

I have been consumed by the thoughts, the preparation and the expectations of participating in my first Poetry Marathon.

Hmmm, so this is why it was so so hard for me to sleep?