One Poem by Alec Solomita

 

The Land of Nod

 

I have been one acquainted

with the land of Nod

where I see old, old friends,

some of whom are gone

but return for visits

when I slip under my sheets,

say my prayers,

turn my head,

and fall fast to sleep.

 

When I was a young boy,

I feared this time of eve:

visits from demons

ghosts, witches,

sprites, elves, Banshees,

who made me wake myself

with a hard shake

of my sleeping head

and stare, dazed, at the

faraway ceiling.

 

But now, after three

score and ten,

it’s open house.

everyone’s invited

to my potluck

night of dreams,

bringing what they can

from adventures on

the swinging sea

or walks in a magic forest

 

or the performance

of a play whose words

have escaped me

as I stand on a stage

with other mute actors.

Yes, even dreams

of impotence and fear

bring companionship,

which, during the day I lack.

 

And my parents,

ah the parents!

They often show up

telling me I’m not

tough enough

and prophesying I won’t

make it in the real world.

Well, I’ll show them,

I think, just before

the sound of wind chimes

brings me back to waking.

 

Then I pull the covers

up to my chin and let

myself drift back into

the peopled land of Nod.

Alec Solomita is a writer and artist working in the Boston (USA) area. His fiction has appeared in the Southwest Review, The Mississippi Review, Southword Journal, and Peacock, among other publications. He was shortlisted by the Bridport Prize and Southword Journal. His poetry has appeared in Poetica, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Litbreak, Driftwood Press, Anti-Heroin Chic, The Galway Review, The Lake, and elsewhere, including several anthologies. His photographs and drawings can be found in Convivium, Fatal Flaw, Young Ravens Review, Tell-Tale Inklings, and other publications. He took the cover photo and designed the cover of his poetry chapbook, “Do Not Forsake Me,” which was published in 2017. His full-length poetry book “Hard To Be a Hero,” came out last spring. He's working on another.