Stayed Awake Long Enough

I stayed awake long

enough to notice the

sky wasn’t asking anything of me…

Stars stayed distant while I stood there without

deciding what

any of it meant.

I noticed the moon was visible but inactive,

and I didn’t wait for it to do more.

I understood that was fine to observe.

The sky stayed up there

without action, and

I stopped asking it to form answers… It really didn’t matter.

The moon was still there

and held its weight

in the night.

Stars kept their distance from me… the moon didn’t lean or reply.

The dark held steady

around me,

and I let it pass me by.

…I stayed up until my

eyes stopped

expecting anything new…

I refused to check the sky for anything new.

I felt my jaw tighten,

but it loosened

right up.

The ache settled into my temples…

I still stayed put… Nothing overhead marked

the passing of the hours…

Stillness stayed in

silence.

I allowed my eyes

to feel the weight of my exhaustion.

I didn’t close them to escape it… The moon stayed

exactly where it had been

the last time I noticed it.

I shrugged off the need

to react…

I let my heavy eyes

drop their stare from

the night sky…

I noticed how little changed, so I stopped

paying attention,

stopped

measuring the night against

how tired I was…

I let the hours pass

without counting what

they took from me…

The sky stayed quiet.

The moon stayed still.

Nothing was answered…

and nothing needed to be.