Sleep-Drunk
Luke Leftwich
world within a world
quaking conscious
floating movement;
thunder rolling horizon-slow,
striking my haywire nervous
tic
tic
tic
tic
tic tock boom —
i am awakened fractured
weather mainframe:
lightning motor
on fumes, holy shit!
this weary circuit marches on.
smoke mirror
mirror soul
soul brain,
smoldering:
tic tock,
tic tock,
tic tock,
boom!
“"Sleep-Drunk" takes on some ideas of 17th-century Deism to depict the wonder I feel while sleep-deprived. The motif of a “world within a world,” which can be placed between most lines in the poem, represents our bodies as mystifying machines capable of awe.”
— Luke Leftwich
Luke Leftwich
Luke Leftwich
Luke Leftwich (he/him) is a queer writer, researcher, and snack food concept from Cookeville, Tennessee. He attends the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where he is a junior and has majors in biochemistry, creative writing and other forms of witchcraft. His poems have appeared in The Phoenix and The Aster, and this is his first publication outside of Tennessee. When he isn't writing, Luke enjoys teaching public health topics, playing Bananagrams, and spending time with his lovely friends.
Instagram: @lml_esquire