Interstellar Slumber

from Out With Lanterns

As I drift off to sleep, I see a square
and inside the square is water
and inside the water is nothingness,
the kind that leaves you wanting
to dive in or run. What is it 
about closing my eyes that sends me 
shifting, shrifting all that I know?  

When I wake, it’s a slog back to life,
an emergence from quicksand.  
I traverse the astral all night.
Re-entry is fire, a leaden pulling. 
Every night I pull covers up
over my shoulder, prepare for liftoff, 
pray for safe return from wherever
it is my soul ventures this time. 

Photo by USGS on Unsplash