More Nocturnal than the Sleep

By Millicent Accardi

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It was more than a blackout,
a swift dullness, as if I were gonna
faint when my legs buckled underneath
me and my ears spun out
with fussy noise that grew louder
as the view in front of my eyes,
hollowed out and bleeding like water,
like ripples of water cascading
before my hands held out.  It was not
sleep. It was more than lethargy, or
oblivion. It was more than a stupor
or me swooning over love.
It was an immediate force. A kick
in my bones, as thick as lumber.
I went down like a dislodged
boulder, in the middle of
the wall. Five tons dislodging
more than sleep, more than slumber
more than temporary.

– Millicent Accardi