Saturday, March 18, 2006

Clifton Mansions Insomnia

25 drops of Valerian in my tea and 10 pages of Hourany's History of the Arab People were supposed to do the job. S turned the light off, and was fast asleep within two minutes, her heavy breaths sometimes turning to sudden snores. Half an hour later my legs were still kicking. I think I need to go dancing soon. And go back to Yoga. Imagined my teacher's voice in my mind's ears: Prepare yourself for Shavasna-Relaxation... your hands res-ting alongside your body, your legs a-part, feet turning sideways... fo-cus on your breathing.... feel the flesh of your face turning heavier, weighing downwards, a st--range sensasation... your breathing becoming slower...

No use. I was too hot, too edgy, too cramped, too high. Literally too high: since we put the futon on a bedbase last week I've been having problems. I felt the need for some familiar textures.

In the next room, on the sofa-bed, I was nearer to the floor. Threw a scarf over the i-book to hide its pulsing white eye. I could now hear the crack-dealers arguing outside the gates. In my sleeping bag, walking on a tight rope, I was steadying my kicking legs.

Woke up with Goldfrapp's Twist and Shout: the morning air was cold, the floorboards red, red, red.

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