Rachel Brown – Somnambulist
drawing by Nicole Little
Our Fresh Local Lit series serves up poems and prose by Philadelphians twice a week. Today’s poem was pulled from the archives! Philly poet Rachel Brown‘s poem, Somnambulist, was originally printed in APIARY 2.
Somnambulist
I sleep around.
At art films, mostly,
with nowhere
to put my head.
You are watching Andy Warhol
film bohemians at the Factory.
I am taking a nap. Twitching.
Roused by a sonic outburst
from the Velvet Underground,
everyone is thinking very hard.
I close my eyes.
I’ve fallen asleep on every train in this city.
Park benches. I may be the only person
who has slept onstage at Carnegie Hall
in the middle of Beethoven’s Ninth.
Three glorious movements before a rousing chorus.
Few things are pointed like the elbow
saying, This is the moment. You aren’t even here.
