Switching to a Single

he thought it a practical decision
sleep could only take up so much space
books, computers, desks
- all the stuff of consciousness
demanded room of its own

others took the move
as a declaration of celibacy
after all the trouble he’d had with women
his first wife (a drunk), and that girl
who ran off with his best mate

adapting to sleep in a single was easy
plenty of room for his broken dreams
and only occasionally did he wake up
having reached out for someone in the night
to find himself at the edge of a precipice

Graham Catt

If you've any comments on this poem, Graham Catt would be pleased to hear from you.