Second Sleep 
 
 
 
Get up in the middle of a quiet night,
putter around, drink a glass of sweet water,
look in on the girls turning baby dreams,
step outside, gaze at the moon behind 
the trees moving with the wind.
Reckon with your living and your fears
like a pregnant woman, make sure
you’re safe from the lions.  Return to bed
and recite the magic that reassures.  
 
 
 
 
 
Melva Sue Priddy