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Oh sleep, why did you do that?
How could you rob me of a date?
And allowed precious time to elapse
While you held me in captivity
Knowing I had a date to honor
I had longed for this day
Told friends about the event —
The International Blues Festival
At the Oakdale Picnic Area of
South Mountain Reservation
In West Orange, New Jersey
And by Jove the day arrived
Being a Sunday, I had to go a’worship
Earlier in the day, as I always do
With reverence and submission
To the will of the One true God
Back home I had lunch,
Drank a glass of red wine
The TV was on so I sat to watch it
Then you, Sleep, invaded my mind
Suggested I take a nap
In fact, you lured me into bed
With what intentions I had no idea
You set my mind at ease and said
“You look a little weary
“Why not take a short nap
“A short sleep will be beneficial
“It’ll energize you greatly
“You have enough time
“Just take a short nap.”
I pondered over it all and agreed
“Yes, u’re right, that sounds good
“Beneficial, energizing, refreshing”
And bingo!
Into the king size bed I jumped
With patience you set to work
Gradually, and then suddenly
You wrapped the rope of sleep
Around me in bondage until
You were done with your mischief
Then you set me free four hours later
Well past the exact time, 19:00 EST
The time for the favorite feature —
Ty Stephens & the SoulJaazz
Exactly what I had longed to see
But Alas! It was too late, I missed it
So dear Sleep, it was all your fault
And please don’t argue that
I should have used the alarm!
September 10, 2017. All rights reserved