Let Rest Come

Let rest come in a moment—
it always does.
Don’t work it or force it
like the college algebra they always said you needed—
forgotten the moment your sneakers crossed back
over the threshold.

Let silence serenade you into sleep.
Dream a new dream of health;
where hospital gowns are mere TV props,
IVs and spinal taps are reduced to nightmare relics,
and you have the privilege of seeing your doctor
just annually.

Let rest come in a moment.
Invite it in like a warm, expected houseguest.
Prop up the pillows,
snuggle beneath the freshly warmed comforter,
and crescendo into a slumber so sweet
even nature grows jealous.