Last Night's Sleep Was Interrupted







      
     Mr, having reduced his salt intake and increased his exercise regime, has gained some attacks of debilitating cramp. 

Nocturnal cramp. A midnight that bites.
Pained, not entirely wakeful, he spirals down our stairs to stretch it out - misses the bottom step, crashes into the oven, knocks a crock of fruit tea over the kitchen floor, breaks the crock, the best beloved iron pot that his Mum gave him, that I make all my syrups in, that we use every day, for everything.
Mr has sadness, cramps, and a bruised knee.
We throw bath towels to the floor, soaking up spilt tea. 
Put the broken pot back on the hob. 
Accident? Omen? We try to sleep and find it difficult.
Somewhere upwards of our bed the moon is waning.

Early morning mist and frost we see: we too are bleary, we too are cold. Coffee must brew.
It is slow, but the sun strengthens. 
Washing pegged to line. Wind blows fresh, not cold. 
Dog shares our restlessness so we go down to a field where primroses crowd the banks of a stream. I pick a pile of petals, breathe the perfume in; hold one to the sun, let the yellow bloom of it reach me like a tonic. 
Sunlight rides on the water.
I think about how light does that - floats on water but reflections on a wet road seem to sink into the ground.

Come home with a wet dog, a tub of flowers.
Put the broke pan out - maybe frogs can make a house of it.

Out with the old is the energy of the fading moon.
Making way.
The anxiety of tired hangs around regardless. 
Hook up my hammock: rest.






Comments

Geo. said…
1st, I am no physician but a 68 year-old American who gets midnight cramps. Yes, I get up to stretch my poor limbs out but there's more to it. Several years ago, I took scissors to a pair of socks and drew them over my lower legs to keep them warmer than the rest of me. Woke without cramps the next morning. I chalk it up to decreased circulation. Certainly, exercise will help, but I don't sleep and exercise at the same time --at least I hope I don't. To further complicate matters, I found I didn't have to cover my crampy parts in some sorts of weather. Can't be entirely specific here but it's true. I just use the leg-parts of old cotton crew-socks --but each Mr. must work that out personally. Hope it helps.
The clarity and rhythm of your writing is stunning. Your prose is more like poetry than some poetry.

I feel for your fella's nocturnal cramps. No fun at all. Can he eat bananas? The high potassium in them is supposed to help with leg cramps. Then again, I've read anecdotal stories about how putting a bar of soap under the covers helps, too. Some people swear it works, but I dunno. Makes zero sense to me.

Oh, by the way, tell you dog I fart in her general direction. :) (If she doesn't want to read my book, she doesn't have to read it!)
Lisa Southard said…
I've got some leg warmers that might pull up - or perhaps we'll get him in tights :-) I've also been advised to try magnesium oil spray. We'll run trials!
Lisa Southard said…
Thank you Susan :-)
We have bananas a lot, and make tea from the skins, which seemed to be working until the salt intake dropped. I've read about the soap trick, and in spite of it making no sense it's going on my Try It list.
Dog turned out to have a bad stomach that day, so luckily her critique had more to do with a mouldy bone she found in the garden... although 'luckily' is probably a poor word choice... :-/
Poor Mr! Insult heaped upon injury!
Lisa Southard said…
Still missing our favourite pan, but the cramps are retreating!

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