When sleep eludes me—
That nightly opiate,
That half-life of darkness
Where shadows blur reality,
When the air feels heavy
With everyone’s dreams—
Where can I go but inwards
And curse my soul for caring?
My heart aches with longing
To be in that world of Sans Souci,
Where dreams transcend
That harsh reality of days—
The reality of pain and despair,
Of no beginning and no end—
To this amaranthine need to bear
The weight of this unhappy life.
Oh, to dream of a life free of burden,
Not to endure the weariness of life,
Where my soul flies free of care;
To cast off worry and strife,
While my body clings to earth
Bound by ties too many to count
That chain me by death and birth
To the pain of continual existence.
If only the night could bring solace,
Perhaps some dream could transport me
To the time before time,
To the dream time of my forebears.
I could dream I dance and prance,
Be a proud brolga13 with black-tipped wings,
Flying free of my earthly bounds,
And share in heaven’s surround.