We are those who aspire to sleep through the night.
…..Untroubled by the stress of our jobs
…..our ever-growing debts
…..the bullies at our children’s schools
…..the nightmare-shadows of men who hurt us as children
…..and the fact that the world and everything in it is dying
(and, apparently, this is all our fault).
We are those who aspire to okay-ness.
…..A coffee on the porch in the morning
…..a night out at the movies
…..small gifts that makes our kids happy
…..an afternoon nap
…..and a pill for everything else
(no more anxiety, no more depression, no more sorrow, no more dread).
We are those who aspire to make it through the day.
…..Without suddenly crying
…..without having to call a friend to rage and rage about the latest injustice
…..without losing time because we are overwhelmed and exhausted
…..without relying (overly much) on screens
…..and without saying or doing things we know we will later regret
(I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry).
We are those who aspire to remember.
…..What it is to love and be loved
…..in a world that is full of wonder
…..where everything is going to be alright in the end
…..because we’re all in this together
…..and I’ve got your back, like you’ve got mine
(that would be nice, that would be so nice).
We are those who aspire to be forgotten.
…..we are aware of our superfluity
…..we are aware of our complicity
…..we are aware of our limits
…..we’re so woke
…..that we haven’t slept in days
(“Going three days without sleep profoundly limits the ability to think, especially executive functions such as multitasking, remembering details, and paying attention. This level of sleep deprivation can make it difficult to see even simple tasks through to completion.Emotions are also affected. People who have undergone this level of sleep deprivation may be easily irritated. They may experience a depressed mood, anxiety, or paranoia. Research has also found that sleep deprivation makes it more difficult to process others’ emotions. In one study, participants with 30 hours of sleep deprivation had difficulty recognizing angry and happy facial expressions. Finally, several days of sleep deprivation can significantly alter perception. You might experience hallucinations, which occur when you see something that isn’t there. Illusions are also common. Illusions are a misinterpretation of something that’s real. An example is seeing a sign and thinking it’s a person.”)
We are those who aspire to die in our sleep.
…..Because we’ve done enough hurting
…..in our waking hours
…..and we’ve done enough fighting
…..in our lives
…..and now we aspire to not aspire
(to fall asleep and never wake up).