6 Comments

As I lay me down to sleep

All the worries start to creep

“Had I said or done things right?”

Will keep me up throughout the night

Flick the light and grab my pen

Journal till I find some zen

Once I get my thoughts all down

They no longer loom in my crown

There it is, that welcomed guest

It’s time to reunite with rest

Expand full comment

Rest (lol?)

After a days worth of work &

Parenting,

& Socializing,

Don’t forget the surface level conversation!

Work overtime ~at home~ to make ends meet; Christmas is in 2 weeks, don’t forget.

Working overtime? Be sure to use corporate lingo in every email, always add an exclamation, god forbid you sound demanding, watch your tone (or else)…..

Is it time for rest, now? Heh.

Of course not.

Laundry, dishes, oh and remember that piece of art waiting for your attention/completion—waiting weeks I might add— don’t work on it, don’t make a mess, forget about that, no time for your passion!… Also, when’s the last time your legs were shaved?? Your relationship is falling apart. Have you even eaten dinner yet? Forget it, unimportant. It’s almost 3 am, hurry take a shower now and you can still get 2, MAYBE, 3 hours of sleep before it’s time to wake up!

Hurry, get some rest…fuck , I mean get some SLEEP.. Do not rest. Wake up without feeling rested.

Wake up! Rush, do not rest! First grade is important, mom! Don’t be late!

Awesome, your obsessive thought for the day— a thought so graciously planted in your brain by the 6 year old who means absolutely no harm— excuse me, no distractions! Time to go!

“Are we late today? First grade is important, mom!” Says the voice who knows not a life without rest.

She deserves to rest, first grade is important, and oh- so challenging!

The single mom? Does she deserve to rest, the single mother fueled by the fear of failure and haunted by the thought, “I’ll rest tomorrow after I finish today”,

Remember that today is never finished and tomorrow arrives earlier than expected.

“I can rest tomorrow”…. Shit, it’s already 3am.

Rest, one day I will rest.

Expand full comment

When Rest is Not Best

Rest is not best

when you need to survive

it’s only… Fight or Flight.

Ok, fine.

You can also Freeze.

But, not rest. Freeze.

Freeze work. Freeze friendships. Feelings. Freeze your dreams.

Put your future plans on ice.

Now that you are numb you can work, buy, consume. Work, buy, consume. Work, buy, consume.

But, not rest. Freeze.

by Kendra Koch

Expand full comment

love

Expand full comment

Thanks for the prompt! I never write poetry but since you said, "make it short," I figured I would give it a go 😊

Expand full comment

I haven't read Death Valley yet but will probably eventually get to it as I read her So Sad Today essays (years ago), here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1828149603

Expand full comment