Thursday, July 9, 2009

The Nap Taker

The steroid taper finished up this past Sunday, but instead of finding some new energy, I've been caught in a fog of fatigue. Without too much choice in the matter, I've drifted off to the land of comatose and nod for hours during the past three days. As I know many of you have been in the same place far more often than either of us would like, I thought you might enjoy the following poem taken from Falling Up by Shel Silverstein, a well-loved book which sits in the waiting room of my music studio.

The Nap Taker

No--I did not take a nap--
The nap--took--me
Off the bed and out the window
Far beyond the sea,
To a land where sleepy heads
Read only comic books
And lock their naps in iron safes
So that they can't get took.

And soon as I came to that land,
I also came to grief.
The people pointed at me, shouting,
"Where's the nap, you thief?"
They took me to the courthouse.
The judge put on his cap.
He said, "My child, you are on trial
For taking someone's nap.

"Yes, all you selfish children,
You think just of yourselves
And don't care if the nap you take
Belongs to someone else.
It happens that the nap you took
Without a thought or care
Belongs to Bonnie Bowlingbrook,
Who's sitting' cryin' there.

"She hasn't slept in quite some time--
Just see her eyelids flap.
She's tired and drowsy--cranky too,
'Cause guess who took her nap?"
The jury cried, "You're guilty, yes,
You're guilty as can be,
But just return the nap you took
And we might set you free."

"I did not take that nap," I cried.
"I give my solemn vow,
And if I took it by mistake
I do not have it now."
"Oh fiddle-fudge," cried out the judge,
"Your record looks quite sour.
Last night I see you stole a kiss,
Last week you took a shower,

"You beat your eggs, you've whipped your cream,
At work you punched the clock,
You've even killed an hour or two,
We've heard you darn your socks,
We know you shot a basketball,
You've stolen second base,
And we can see you're guilty
From the sleep that's on your face.

"Go lie down on your blanket now
And cry your guilty tears.
I sentence you to one long nap
For ninety million years.
And when the other children see
This nap that never ends,
No child will ever dare to take
Somebody's nap again."

4 comments:

  1. Lisa,
    I sure hope you get your jump start soon from the steroid treatment. I know that there have been many times that I get very fatigued after all the treatments. Yet the last one in October... Oddly enough took my fatigue away. I had suffered with severe fatigue for 2 years and so it was a very nice break when I didn't have the fatigue. I hope you are on your way to recovery very soon.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That fatigue - I know it well. I called it my "post prednisone low." For me, it usually lasted just a couple of days. I hope that goes for you as well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Lisa: I know it well.

    After being wide eyed while on IVSM and finishing of the taper, I look forward to the Big Sleep.

    Enjoy it while you can. :-) I'd rather be asleep than fatigued and awake. But that's just me.

    I hope you find some energy soon.

    Take care,
    Anne

    ReplyDelete
  4. OMG I love that poem. My partner will love it. I often take her naps. (Feel guilty as hell too.) hang in there, Lisa---it passes

    ReplyDelete