As I kissed him goodnight
and wished him the sweetest of dreams
He seemed to laugh sourly:
Sweet dreams
without your drowsy presence
breathing languidly within my arms
is like dawn without the sun
or a moon that does not pull its tides
towards, and away from the shore
I gave him a sad smile
kissing him once more before
our hands drifted apart
Knowing with credence
insomnia would claim him tonight
without my ubiety there
to fend the demon off
And as I closed the door behind me,
his voice drifted once more through the walls:
Oh my darling,
if only shadows slept.