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Poem: “Sleep Well”

by on May 17, 2012 in Poetry
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Sleep Well

Yes, he shot himself in the chest
At the age of 37
Success, to peer inside the world
Above which hangs the yellow sun by day
The other, smaller stars at night
Great flowers plant their shadows

She saw him at her father’s shop
Thought him rude and ugly
That red-haired Dutchman, that fou roux
Her own success
To live well past a century
She liked a glass of wine

To see too much
Is not to put things right
To come close to the sun
Does not endow immunity to heat
Nor does the proper weight of light
Give strength to bear it up

Drink red wine, a glass
Live long perhaps
And when the world reveals itself
Stay not over long
To see too much
Sleep well by night and day

Pavel
July 9, 2011


Pavel Chichikov is a Washington DC-based poet and photographer. He has written for both the secular and the Catholic press on issues as diverse as Russian nuclear weapons systems, Olympic athletes, and miracles. His books include From Here to Babylon: Poems by Pavel Chichikov,  Lion Sun: Poems by Pavel Chichikov, Mysteries and Stations in the Manner of Ignatius, and Animal Kingdom. Pavel may be heard reading his works on catholicradiointernational.com and on pavelreads.com. His poetry regularly appears on "The Poetry of Pavel Chichikov."