I Am Going to Sleep

Alfonsina Storni

 Next Poem          

Teeth of flowers, hairnet of dew,
hands of herbs, you, perfect wet nurse,
prepare the earthly sheets for me
and the down quilt of weeded moss.

I am going to sleep, my nurse, put me to bed.
Set a lamp at my headboard;
a constellation; whatever you like;
all are good: lower it a bit.

Leave me alone: you hear the buds breaking through . . .
a celestial foot rocks you from above
and a bird traces a pattern for you

so you'll forget . . . Thank you. Oh, one request:
if he telephones again
tell him not to keep trying for I have left . . .

Next Poem 

 Back to Alfonsina Storni
Get a free collection of Classic Poetry ↓

Receive the ebook in seconds 50 poems from 50 different authors


To be able to leave a comment here you must be registered. Log in or Sign up.

Comments1
  • danielemayne

    Gosh, this poem really hits home. As someone who struggles with sleep and detaching from the world, the visual analogies used give such depth to these common feelings. It's got a certain sadness to it, but it's also undeniably beautiful.