Hear sounds of night —
a lullaby for withered fronds
Hear sighs of night —
how dark are shadows passing
Hear screams of night —
of horsemen in his nightmare
Awake, asleep: it doesn’t matter
with daylight dreams will shatter.
Hear sounds of light —
from highways clogged with traffic
Hear sighs of light —
in balance sheets unbalanced
Hear screams of light —
with deadlines being broken.
Awake, asleep: it doesn’t matter
as life is brimmed with chatter.
Office at night by Edward Hopper
Today Victoria hosts at dVerse, and we should use repetitions in the poetry.
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January 19, 2017
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Awake, asleep…it doesn’t matter. So often there is such a sense of desperation in life as you describe and underline using repetition. Funny (not) how work and other responsibilities invade our sleep.
Well done, Bjorn, for reminding me why I took early retirement!
And me too. Your poems, even when a bit light have a sense of darkness, sense of restrained chaos. This one is no different.
A wonderfully dystopian ballad of that leaden-eyed nightmare we experience both awake and asleep. I was fortunate to spend 30 years serving others as a special Ed teacher, but I do not miss the corporate beaurcratic bullshit that inhabited each day.
Bjorn this is superb. I absolutely love the imagery here, it’s so powerful and as someone else said ‘restrained chaos’ is so apropos. Wonderful!
Oh, my. This leaves me a bit breathless. I love the variations, the progression of this.
the best i have read of today.
Wow. This is really good. 🙂
Nightmares waking and sleeping – love it
As you know I very much identify with this…and the Hopper painting is perfect
Awake or asleep, it repeats either way. I know about the unbalanced books, that is a daily nightmare.
Awake, asleep: it doesn’t matter. Oh man does this encapsulate retrained panic. Like knowing you’re in a day mare yet can’t pull yourself out.. Well dome
“as life is brimmed with chatter.” ~it is, isn’t it? 🙂 Lovely imagery and use of repetition, Bjorn!
Hear screams of light —
with deadlines being broken.
Awake, asleep: it doesn’t matter
as life is brimmed with chatter.
This is soo wonderfully hypnotic!
Waking Life…OR IS IT?
Awake or asleep, the subconscious and conscious weave a powerful dreamcatcher here, a very well written surrender to tiredness.
oh, this is just a wonderful play of words (as always with you, Bjorn).. and so so true..
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Great write, Björn – your use of repetition is most effective
This is a living nightmare for the majority of folk. Glad I took an early retirement….I so well know of this. I won’t say ‘lovely’…but it smacks of ultimate truth.
Really nicely done, Bjorn. Busy, busy, busy…I think he/she needs a good, long vacation. 🙂
yes you capture the pattern of days
Ah, this is just lovely – the structure, the words, the rhythm. 🙂
i dear hear those sounds!
night is my favorite atmosphere for writing, for listening and thinking too.
this is wonderful.
‘Awake, asleep: it doesn’t matter’ – how true of dreary, soul-crushing office work. The repetition in this is so effective – echoing the repetitive nature of office work – and the repetitive sounds of the workplace.
Splendid! And I love that switch from night to light. Could be lyrics to a song.
LOVE this! The repetition is excellent and shifts just that bit from the pleasant to the grating……..you’ve hit the nail on the head in terms of the stress involved with work and the sometimes insomnia and dreams that can come when work closes in.