Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I couldn’t go to sleep last night
although I tried with all my might
I tossed and turned this way and that
and even got up and sat in a chair
and read a book at least to look
at the pictures I found inside
of flowers and landscapes, ponds and fish
of all the things that I wish
my garden looked like but instead
I have gone a different way
with many ponds and native plants
to remind me of the fact
that I live in Texas and special flowers
like the ones in the book
do not do well because of the heat
and to get anything to grow here is a feat.

I read the book for a while
and then decided, with a smile
I would try to go to sleep
and back into bed I climbed
only then did I find
not one, not two but all five
of the dogs had claimed a spot
leaving me with just a jot of space
to lay down my poor tired head
with eyes so heavy with the wish to sleep
I tried to squeeze into the space to keep
from falling out of bed
I wrapped both arms around a dog
and fell asleep just like a log
and in what seemed an eternity
but in fact was no more than
ten minutes that I had snored.

Up jumped the dog so wide awake
and did violently shake
his head and body from side to side
and started to bark at some imaginary thing
that was outside in the dark
probably a coon or possum or maybe a rat
we did not know for a fact
whatever it was the other four dogs
all joined in the chorus of barks
some with high notes and some with low
but all making an impossible noise
that it came as no surprise that
me, I was now wide awake
and looked at the clock by the bed
ten minutes had gone is what it said
since I lay down my head.

I lay back down, this time alone
for the dogs had all flown
out through their doggy door to see
just what it was at what they had heard.
Just when I was dozing off
an almighty racket I did hear
as the dogs had found
a big ole coon and he had treed
below him the dogs were going nuts
as they could see him but could not reach
him as he was too high.

I sighed and climbed back out of bed
and put on my shorts, tee-shirt and shoes
the same clothes I had just removed
and down the garden lamp in hand
went to see just what it was
that was causing the dogs to act so loud
and sure enough in the light from my lamp
two glowing eyes reflected back
attached to the biggest coon I had ever seen
big enough and probably just as mean
to tear up my dogs who at the most
are of the small dog kind although they all think
they are pit bulls or Doberman or some other tough dog
despite their small stature and their dachshund breed.

I called the dogs in and reluctantly so
in they did troop with many a glance
behind them at the coon in the tree
just wishing that I would let them go
back to bark and jump up and down
and act tough with their feet on the ground.
I shut the door no more they could roam
at least until morning which by now by the clock
showed another hour passed from when I first went to bed
you know, the first time I laid down my head
but that was at least five hours ago.

So back into bed we all did climb
me and five dogs the difference this time
is that I got first dibs at my side of the bed
and gratefully I lay down my head
the dogs re-arranged and found their own spots
with Abigail and Ginny under covers did go
and Be-Be and Richie cuddled up so tight
and Danny the biggest of them all
stretched across the foot of the bed
at last, I thought, this must be the time
what else can happen to keep me awake.
I should have known better than to tempt fate
for sure enough after I dozed off to sleep
the telephone rang with its alarm clock like ring
and up I jumped, startled by the noise it did make
I grabbed at the phone but in my haste
it fell to the floor and out of my reach
still ringing as I sprang out of bed
and retrieved it but by that time it had stopped
and I waited as a voicemail was left
and I listened to the message and is said,
“You are the lucky winner of a trip
to Disney Land but you must reply
in fifteen minutes or it will pass
to some other lucky person will find
this wonderful chance”.

I looked at the phone and looked at the clock
as by now more time had flown by
I threw the phone across the room
not caring one jot for in my gloom
all I could think of was sleep and more sleep
and so I turned back to the bed
only to find that dogs had moved
and re-arranged their spots and the space I called mine
was occupied by two animals of the doggy kind.
The clock now said six and it was still dark outside
I sighed and once more my clothes I applied
and sat in front of the computer screen
and wrote a poem about the time
that I was unable to sleep.