Trading Sleep
to what length have I gone
when I trade a night of sleep
in order to reach a new voice
located somewhere in my head
is this the life of a writer
to trade sleep, to sacrifice
small bits of your sanity
to go in new directions
or create something you
have never read or seen
will this trade work out
in my favor or to my detriment
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Posted on April 2, 2015, in Poetry and tagged DoubleU, John White, Poetry, Trading Sleep. Bookmark the permalink. 69 Comments.
DoubleU = W 
to what length have I gone
to trade one day of sanity
in order to reach a new sentence
located somewhere in my heart
Thanks! And sometimes that new sentence just won’t come even when we’ve traded a part of our sanity for it.
oh yes… those 3am muse attacks.. I know them well! great poem!
Thanks! They can be pretty darned maddening. It’s great to meet you!
great to meet you two, John š
Ah, yes…
Thank you! It’s great to meet you!
Great piece John, I can’t begin to say how rite you are
Thanks, Sheldon! Those sleepless night searching for words to write can be a real drain.
There’s a part of me that loves the adrenalin rush of creativity in the middle of the night š
Sometimes no matter the hour of day your mind can just click and it’s as if the writing is done for you on auto-pilot. I’ve had times like that and they aren’t just a rush but in some ways draining. What can be interesting is to go back days later and re-read everything that was written during that orgy of creativity to examine what you wrote, how you wrote and whether or not you approve of its quality after some time away from it.
But still some of the best pieces are written in those silent and dark nights, eyes struggling to pull down the curtains while brain tightly holding the strings! š every writer can relate to this. Well said!
Thanks! Those hours of fighting sleep while putting pen to paper can create some unusual and creative writing no doubt. It’s great to meet you!
Skeep is overrated anyway… š
Sleep
It certainly can be. š Thanks! It’s great to meet you!
Hi John – great post! What’s sleep, btw? My brain dumps always happen in the middle of the night. I’m helpless when it comes to my own creativity.
Oh how I can relate! Those strange times when your mind throws an idea that won’t wait at you and you can’t help but write it only to have another light go on in your mind in the middle of writing the first one…Those are frustrating and tiring experiences but also really rewarding.
Couldn’t agree more. Tiring but good when they reveal themselves. Short of doing psychedelic drugs, I do welcome them!
There’s really nothing like it – writing 3 or 4 or 5 poems almost back to back as if in a hurry just to get the words out of you before they’re lost.
Yes, it’s so nice to hear another person put it that way! That’s exactly it – you have to write it all down before it has the chance to leave you. Your moments must be stronger than mine though, because it’s usually one at a time for me- not 3 or 4 or 5!
Probably not stronger really but there are times like that only my moments like those don’t come around that often. š
You’re doing just fine without them š
Thanks! š
This is the reality lol
And there it is…real as ever. š
This sounds very familiar. In the dead of night is when I am most prone to write proliferously! It’s as if I’m on fire and I can’t sit still/rest until I get it all out. Then I’m spent and fall into the bed as though pumped/drained of all the life /energy inside me. Then the next day when I re-read in an attempt to edit, I can’t believe this words came from me. The experience is amazing!
I said almost the exact same thing here in the comments earlier. Are we related? lol
lol… I saw it after I made my comment… Great minds!
š
I totally understand this. I also find myself seeming to trade my sanity to unlock deeper parts of my creativity. Thanks for the follow too by the way!
Thanks, Evan! Pure insomnia is one thing but staying awake because there is an urge to write can make us pretty crazy. No muse needed. Just let the mind wander. It’s great to meet you!
I could totally relate! Never been able to sleep peacefully because my head is jammed with new ideas, sentences…
The odd part is that sometimes those nocturnal thoughts and inspirations can be some of the best ones.
Indeed!
As a student, my mind is at its creative best at midnights, especially when I’m preparing for an important test or exam the next day. I would be burning the midnight oil trying to finish reading a dozen essays and notes by the morning, but all I can think of is this bright new idea that has struck me, and can’t take in a word of what I read until I indulge the muse. Very frustrating! š
I know that feeling all too well. Anyone who is used to being up late or who is a night owl can find that those late hours produce thoughts exactly as you describe. They just take hold and won’t let go. It’s great to meet you!
Great to meet you too. š
Life of a student too
..I trade my nights of sleep going over information for my tests
O can imagine. Cramming for an upcoming exam or burning the midnight oil to finish a paper has got to be stressful and a major loss of sleep.
Depends on what you write
You may be right. It’s great to meet you!
Even with little success, this is a trade of the heart that always works out. If not for our wallets, for our psyches. Love this poem.
Thanks again! It is good for the psyche to release all those thoughts onto paper (or digital paper).
Love poetry but I have a great deal of difficulty writing it. So I suspect you now know how much I liked this poem John, since I appreciate how hard it can be. :O)
Thank you! Any writing can be difficult. The concept of turning an idea into the written word can be a daunting task for anyone.
Its quite true and the second guessing during the editing process drives me nuts. Have a great weekend John. :O)
I normally go with my first guess. lol
I need to get into that habit. :O)
I’m not sure I recommend it since I’ve only managed a couple of publishing credits doing things that way. š
Yes, I’ve woken up in the middle of the night, had to get up and write something. Ridiculous, isn’t it? š
Oh, not ridiculous at all, Karen. I’ve been there and when it happens it can produce some strange and interesting stuff. It’s great to meet you!
I usually do well with poems for some reason when lacking sleep haha š great to meet you too!
They do tend to come at odd times. š
I can relate. I enjoyed this. š
Thank you, Kim! It’s great to meet you!
Reblogged this on Hitlerskiss Blog and commented:
enjoyed this piece,hope u do too!
Beautiful poem! This so truly describes every author’s sacrifice of their sanity in order to apply to the world of their writing. Beautiful.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s great to meet you!
Ha, that’s awesome. I was just deciding…20 more minutes to write and read, or should I go to bed? š
p.s. thanks so much for stopping by my blog!
You’re welcome and thank you for dropping by and for commenting. That choice between sleep and writing can be a difficult one to make. š It’s great to meet you!
Yes…I stayed up three hours later than I should have been, last night! š
Here’s to hoping your 3 hours were productive ones. š
Yep…I was reading. š
So utterly relatable ! And why oh why do the best ideas, that flow of thoughts and words come only after midnight ??!!
Creativity (esp. writing) and insomnia are intimately connected, I think
Thank you! It does seem that those two are connected at the hip and I’m not certain why. It’s a total mystery. Sometimes it’s even tougher to wake up at 4 a.m. with an idea running wild in your brain and then you must roll out of bed, grab paper and pen and start writing. š It’s great to meet you!
I can totally relate.
Thank you, Bob!