Sleepless

Another sleepless night,
So many pass this way
I begin to think
That sleep's a myth.

She and I together
Alone in a slumbering world.
Like travellers from a distant planet,
Not part of anywhere.

Her mind drifts untethered.
Her words bereft of meaning,
Turn cartwheels in the air.
A thousand conversations struggle for connection,
Wires hang loose
The operators long since vanished.

This is the hardest time
You can hear the torment of her mind
I am her Dad
Supposed to save her from such things.

I put my hand upon her head
And try to draw the demon out,
But nothing comes
Except my tears.