Insomnia

The eldest pursues an ice cream truck
on his bicycle. He goes much farther
than he is supposed to. When he gets
back he has to funnel the ice cream
into cups. They drink it like water. The
eldest craves real water, such is the length
of the neighborhood, the surrounding town
At night the eldest is last to sleep. There
is something about being the last awake 
that appeals to him, like being alive is a trick
that’s easier to do when people aren’t 
looking. Look at the surrounding town
the approximate length of the known world
A dog barks through it. It responds 
to its own sound. The eldest dreams 
of being understood, or swiftly diagnosed
but there’s no one awake who can do that 
now. There’s no point worrying 
It’s like that everywhere he could go