Sleep Poems | Poemist

Popular Sleep Poems

A Red Palm

by Gary Soto

You're in this dream of cotton plants.
You raise a hoe, swing, and the first weeds
Fall with a sigh. You take another step,
Chop, and the sigh comes again,
Until you yourself are breathing that way
With each step, a sigh that will follow you into town.

That's hours later. The sun is a red blister
Coming up in your palm. Your back is strong,
Young, not yet the broken chair

......

Lament

by Dylan Thomas

When I was a windy boy and a bit
And the black spit of the chapel fold,
(Sighed the old ram rod, dying of women),
I tiptoed shy in the gooseberry wood,
The rude owl cried like a tell-tale tit,
I skipped in a blush as the big girls rolled
Nine-pin down on donkey's common,
And on seesaw sunday nights I wooed
Whoever I would with my wicked eyes,
The whole of the moon I could love and leave

......

Dis Poetry

by Benjamin Zephaniah

Dis poetry is like a riddim dat drops
De tongue fires a riddim dat shoots like shots
Dis poetry is designed fe rantin
Dance hall style, big mouth chanting,
Dis poetry nar put yu to sleep
Preaching follow me
Like yu is blind sheep,
Dis poetry is not Party Political
Not designed fe dose who are critical.
Dis poetry is wid me when I gu to me bed

......

Disabled

by Wilfred Owen

He sat in a wheeled chair, waiting for dark,
And shivered in his ghastly suit of grey,
Legless, sewn short at elbow. Through the park
Voices of boys rang saddening like a hymn,
Voices of play and pleasure after day,
Till gathering sleep had mothered them from him.

About this time Town used to swing so gay
When glow-lamps budded in the light blue trees,
And girls glanced lovelier as the air grew dim,-

......

The Duel

by Eugene Field

The gingham dog and the calico cat
Side by side on the table sat;
'T was half-past twelve, and (what do you think!)
Nor one nor t' other had slept a wink!
The old Dutch clock and the Chinese plate
Appeared to know as sure as fate
There was going to be a terrible spat.
(I wasn't there; I simply state
What was told to me by the Chinese plate!)

......

Recent Sleep Poems

Snuggled in Sunshine

by Evelyn Judy Buehler

lost in gold glamour
hammock trees whisper green breeze
lotus color sprees

a warm noon warning
of soon tangerine caress
dragonfly's address

swinging sage summer
June beauties in lemon squeeze

......

Pieces of the Sleepless

by Brady Stewart

I cannot sleep
But the why isn't threatening
But it postpones the possibility,
Of a 6am wakeup.
I would like to say that annoys me
But kicking your toddler of a son
Off the bed,
Is disheartening.
So,
Maybe I’ll just write this

......

A great slumber

by Rex Keener

There once was a fellow in slumber
Whose alarm clock caused quite a blunder
He snored on too long
And his day went all wrong
Now at lunch his eyes start to shudder

Haunted

by Richard Randolph

Wise men advise us to not look back, and that makes sense,
because whether our memories are happy or sad,
they cannot be changed or undone.
But the past is always there
whether we acknowledge it or not,
ready to haunt us at the mention of a name,
or in the wee hours of the night
when darkness makes time disappear
and the past reawakens in our minds.

......

Laughter Recall

by Evelyn Judy Buehler

Playing in sunshine
is a twirling girl and cat
Meows and laughter
Romping away sweet moments
until the day is drowsing

In tall green grasses
pretty kitty's soon sleeping
in shadows of day
The orange sun's retreating

......