Goodnight

Now it's coming to the end of the evening

The time when the ceiling sways and objects jerk out of place

Your eyelids heavy, you make your way down the yellow streets

past rows and rows of houses

curtains drawn tight against the cold night air

to a flight of stairs

which lead to a room

where a bed is waiting for you to lie down

perhaps alone, perhaps not

and go to sleep again

They wait alone

in unused rooms

they sit and they remember

Oh, please remember

So you lie on your back in the dark

and listen to the blood rushing in your ears

and the soft "tick, tick, tick" of your watch against the mattress springs

Patterns merge behind your eyes

Purple and green, glowing gently

and all is soft with furry darkness

You yawn once

turn on your side

and fall to sleep again

They wait alone

they bathed your eyes

when nights were cold

Remember

Oh, please remember

There's something you've forgotten

When you awoke later that night the bedroom was cold and you were alone

Alone and afraid of the dark

Watching

Waiting

Watching

Waiting

As you lie on your back

naked beneath the cold sheets

Not dead, just sleeping

Sleeping

And you will never wake again.