At Night

Why do you sit there, staring at screens till three in the morning? Surfing for something, the same old sites over and over again? With sagging eyes that scan without seeing? While the TV drones companionably in the background, and you keep it on, just to remind yourself you're not the only human left on the planet. You wait, glazed over, on the couch, staring, staring, to let Sleep catch you off guard. Because it's too hard to consciously wait for him (if you waited, he might never come) and it takes too long. long enough to let your mind wander... No, better to immerse yourself in other people's virtual lives until dawn or oblivion comes. If you can just hold out until Sleep arrives on his own, without you having to search for it, maybe you can avoid the loneliness. Better to be tired in front of the television than admit to this grown-up fear of the dark.