uneasy by R. J. Beck (Lucent Dreaming Issue 7)

sleep evades me
I am restless
Listless
tossing and turning
but toward
nothing, in particular
unmoved, yet always moving
agitated, anxiously awaiting
THE NEXT BIG THING!

and I have no idea
what it should be

there’s a constant buzz in my ear
a drip, drip, drip
down the back of my neck
a rumble of wonder
along my skin

quieting the cacophony
that reverberates in my ribcage
fires, pulses of light behind my eyes

so I focus
there
at the blast
until it fades

and

for the length of a blink
– or maybe for an eternity

there’s peace

R. J. Beck is an U.S. based poet who grew up in the American South and now resides in rural Maine. Poetry allows her to explore the complex relationships between external expectations and internal contradictions. Her work is an inquiry into the emotional and the unsaid, with an emphasis on honesty and healing. When she isn’t writing she can be found wandering the woods around her, staring at the ocean, enjoying the words and images of other creatives who expand her thinking, or engaging in an esoteric conversation over a cup of tea.

Browse issue 7 in full.

Lucent Dreaming is an independent creative writing magazine publishing beautiful, imaginative and surreal short stories, poetry and artwork from emerging authors and artists worldwide. Our aim is to encourage creativity and to help writers reach publication! Subscribe to Lucent Dreaming now, support us on Patreon and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.