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Thursday, November 3, 2011

To Sleep Or Not To Sleep

TO SLEEP OR NOT TO SLEEP 
To sleep, or not to sleep: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer 
Through class the drooping eyes, the weary neck, 
Or to take action against these 
And by skipping class end them? To die: to sleep; 
No more; And by sleep to say we attempt an end 
At rehearsals and the piles of work 
That college is heir to, 'tis a consummation 
Devoutly wish'd by over-achievers. To die. To sleep; 
To sleep: perchance to stay awake in Philosophy! Ay, that is the rub; 
For in that uncomfortable nap on my desk 
When no lesson passes through my ears, 
(When I have completed the reading at 1 in the morning,) 
Must give us pause: there’s the problem
That turns my eyes from white to a grapefruit pink (occasionally demon red)  
For who would bear the incoherent thoughts of the half-asleep 
The confusion of disjointed thoughts, the inability to concentrate
The aching eyelashes, the desire for more than a chair. 
The pining of bed and pillow 
That even the liveliest student has not the strength to deny
(especially) When he himself might his nap take 
With a pair of cozy sweats? Who would choose 
To moan and complain from class through hall 
But that the dread of waking up from dormancy 
The dreams you’d forget, the nightmares you’d remember 
No human prefers to be asleep, it puzzles the will 
And makes us long for that which he have not in the moment 
Then fly to my bed! And sink soft therein... Only to have 
My conscience strain at my brain and keep me from the brink of rest 
And thus, the vicious duties of day turn a simple cat nap
Into something sicklied and soiled with the pale cast of thought, 
And makes the roommate, boyfriend, mother sympathize the moment 
With their regards-- and often demands 
And make me loose my sleepy action-- Soft you, now! 
The exciting noises, a song to pull me from my comforter 
Be all my forsaken hours of sleep rememb’red 

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