Sleep, a Poem by Des Mannay

I should go to bed

before it gets light,

but there are things

which bother me at night

One of them is hunger -

we are short of food,

nothing in the cupboard

to feed a growing brood

Another is affection,

like "Love's Labour's Lost",

every spurned tenderness -

rejection has a cost

Then there is my skin,

how it bloody thickens

with each blow and insult -

deep inside it sickens

There's a different hunger -

we need to re-arrange

the world that we subsist in;

I'm hungry for the change

Another affection

wells inside of me,

against bigotry and hatred;

for humanity

Sickness is systemic,

or it seems to me,

so - I'll off, away to bed,

dreams can set you free.

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Des Mannay is a Welsh writer of color. First poetry collection, "Sod ’em – and tomorrow" published by Waterloo Press. Co-editor of The Angry Manifesto poetry journal. Winner -'rethinkyourmind' poetry competition (2015), LIT-UP poetry competition (2019). 2nd/ highly commended - Disability Arts Cymru poetry Competition (2015). 'Gold Award' - Creative Futures Literary Awards (2015). Shortlisted in 7 competitions, and published in various poetry journals. Work in 26 poetry anthologies.