Ryan Sleeps Rough, by Matthew Murrey

Ryan Sleeps Rough  

The painter knows sleep can
​free us, lift us
from this bitter earth. O
flight and fancy.  Art 
in just two dimensions 
can trick us into hope,
prank a wall apart 
though it still stands--
concrete or mortared brick.

And so by paint and wish, 
this bench takes flight 
leaving below the slow 
night traffic, the last sip
and all his belongings 
plumped beneath his head--
good night.  It rises, rides 
above the windy leaves,
glides over slanted roofs
and windows dark and lit.
Notice how unknowable
and starless the sky is here.

When I was little I believed 
if I stayed up all night 
on Christmas Eve, I’d see him 
and his magic deer, but sleep 
always got the best of me. 
And this illusion, though sweet, 
cannot cheat so well.  Draw
near and see how hard 
the surface beneath it really is.

Matthew Murrey

Matthew Murrey: "My poems have appeared in journals such as Prairie Schooner, Poetry East, and Split Rock Review.  I am a NEA Fellowship recipient, and my debut poetry collection, Bulletproof, was published in February 2019 by Jacar Press.  I am a high school librarian in Urbana, Illinois.  My website is at https://www.matthewmurrey.net/"