Troubled

by Jerry T. Johnson

Pandemic night number
one hundred, twenty-five.
you stir in your sleep.
your eyes pop open.
you look at the clock
sitting on the nightstand.
the time reveals that
you only slept for five
short minutes and now
you are wide awake.
you leave your bed
slowly you walk
down the hall,
your body weary,
your mind overactive,
subconscious troubled.
you make a cup of tea.
no caffeine, no honey,
just warm, black liquid.
steam rises, aroma
wafts through your
troubled space.
midnight arrives.
you sip.  you meditate.
calmed.  you become.
calmed.  you become.

Jerry T. Johnson is a Poet and Spoken Word Artist whose poetry has appeared in a variety of literary publications worldwide.  Jerry also features at many Spoken Word and Poetry venues in the New York City and Southern Connecticut areas.  Jerry lives with his wife Raye in Danbury, Connecticut.  You may follow Jerry’s work on social media at twitter.com/jetjohn3 and facebook.com/jtjpoetry . Varada J.M is a 9th-grader based in Kerala’s Koyilandi, studying at Rani Public School, Vadakara. After hurriedly doing homework, Varada divides her time between practicing classical dance and watching horror films. She loves dogs but nobody at home wants one.