Asleep Not Resting

Asleep but not resting
His eyes are wide open
His bed unkept, unmade
He reaches to straighten the covers
But cover is too far away
A blinding light penetrates the blinds
He reaches to close the curtains
He reaches to shield his eyes
But cover is distant
Even when it is so near
He hears a mysterious sound
Beneath the floorboards
Out of his path of sight
He reaches for an object
To help him stand
To help him rise
But all such objects are too far away
And so he listens
And so he waits
And so he watches  the ceiling
As it sways to the chattering sounds below
Waiting and staring at his useless hands
Biding time as a serpent
Coiled beneath a rock
Seeing everything above
Hearing everything below
As evening cools
And the shadows rise