i sleep
in fits
a tulip bulb
planted
upside down
in the cold
winter soil

i wake
confused
uncertain
where i am
staring up
vertiginous
and alone

gathering up
the flecks of
dream from the
rocky soil
seeking answers
stunted in
the darkness

i cannot tell
if i sleep or
lay awake
if i think
or mindlessly
spin about in
a bedlike tomb

i sprout
green tendrils
uncertain as
to the direction
of the light
burrowing deeper
lost in despair

i sleep
i wake
nestled deeply
in the soil
a tulip bulb
carelessly planted
upside down