Bedroom Ceilings
the ceiling
was as tall as a cathedral's
as silent as one too.
numinous nights nestled
bathed in milky blue.
that silent, distant plateau
heard and always listened
to thoughts that would sew,
dreams my soul envisioned.
anything could happen;
the world was in suspense.
I would get trapped in
the realm of minute-less moments.
Innocence at its best,
survival at its worst.
Before he went to rest,
he'd allow his thoughts to burst.
say goodnight
to the surface over head;
watch over me.
While my imagination sets sail in bed,
keep my body safe from sea.
Eyes close in a magical realm;
the child's mind is alive.
only time will tell,
how long that mind will survive.
Years later,
there is a different ceiling,
as tall as the walls of an elevator,
but it listens just the same,
silent observance is its nature;
I, again, inhabit its domain.
And sometimes, if I'm sober,
I close my eyes, and open my brain
to find a child, the great knower ,
that has always shared my name.
-Anthony Ness