.

There Are Not Enough
Hours in the Day

There are not enough hours in the day
to take all of the naps I want to take.
As soon as I have sprung up from the hay
I think I’d rather dream than be awake—
so long as they are of the pleasant sort,
not one where I am trying to outrace
a serial killer chasing me for sport,
and me without a gun or can of mace;
or one where there’s a lion in the lodge
who knows exactly where to turn his rage—
if skillfully its cuspids I can dodge
I’ll have to face a ruled, unwritten page.
Such is the writer’s life, one understands,
when he has too much free time on his hands.

.

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Geoffrey Smagacz writes from Mexico (mostly) and South Carolina. His poetry has been published in various literary magazines and e-zines, including 14 by 14, Dappled Things and the Society of Classical Poets.  His latest murder mystery, Reportedly Murdered (Wipf and Stock, 2022), is now available through online venues. A collection of his fiction, published under the title of A Waste of Shame and Other Sad Tales of the Appalachian Foothills (Wiseblood Books, 2013), won the 2014 Independent Publisher gold medal for Best Mid-Atlantic Regional Fiction. www.geoffreysmagacz.com, @Ge0ffreyW on Twitter.

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The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.


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17 Responses

  1. Paul A. Freeman

    What great fun. And a fantastic final couplet, to boot.

    Thanks for the read, Geoffrey.

    Reply
  2. Roy Eugene Peterson

    I love this poem with its vivid humor from possible dreams after taking a nap. Since I have retired to take naps and write, I can identify with what you wrote.

    Reply
  3. Margaret Coats

    I too like dreams of the pleasant sort, but I notice there are none in this poem. What a life when you can’t even enjoy naps because frightening imaginary chases keep you away from the ruled page! No rest for the weary?

    Reply
  5. Joshua C. Frank

    Interesting thought. Myself, I don’t care for dreams. If they’re pleasant, then waking up is always a disappointment; if not… well, that’s self-explanatory.

    Of course, if you’ve read my poetry, you know I don’t care much for the unreal anyway.

    Reply
  7. Jeff Eardley

    “Back of the net” as they say over here. I really enjoyed this Geoffrey. Thanks a bunch!

    Reply
  8. C.B. Anderson

    A nice take on the interplay between wakefulness and sleep, Geoffrey, and a subject that could be expanded upon, whether in poetry or prose, almost endlessly. As a poet myself, I find the interplay of fact and fantasy to be in constant tension, a state of mind that often leads to good ends.

    Reply
    • Geoffrey Smagacz

      Thanks, C.B.! Literature is rife with dreams, both sleeping and waking.

      Reply

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