Cathleen Allyn Conway

BEDTIME STORIES

~ after Stormy Weather by Debi Gliori

In darkness black and cold and deep,
I’ll keep you cuddled until your sleep.
Across borders in makeshift beds
21.3 million goodbyes are said.

Through the water’s roar and rise,
in makeshift lifeboats, taking lives,
I’ll hold you tight, close and firm,
wrapped in surf throughout this storm.

And if it rains ten thousand rains
torrenting camps, flooding plains,
build your boats, try sailing away
to pleasant lands beyond Calais.

Child, you will sleep beneath this sky
with tides and screams as lullabies.
Stars as nightlights, bright and true,
dim with safe hopes for you.