Slumber

Poetry.

By Lori Volski

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Lori has resided in Solvay, New York, a suburb of Syracuse, her entire 48-years of life. She strongly values the diversity of artists, musicians, and “all-around creatives” in the region. In 2025, Lori decided to take her writing more seriously. She enrolled in Onondaga Community College to become a Creative Writing major. That decision was prompted by a lifelong, devout love of words and literature. Lori’s literary inspirations include Jennifer Armentrout and Sarah Maas. She admires strong wit, humor, fantasy, strong female leads, and alternate universes in her reading. Lori has a knack for writing young-adult lit, but here she shares a wonderful poem about guitar playing and relationships. I hope you enjoy Slumber by Lori Volski.

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Up and down a scale is a trap

I often hear a guitar string snap

It screeches and yelps knowing its end is approaching

Each fret a symbol of a door that is closing

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But often do I feel a deep beat

I wonder if that base line may be discreet

Guiding me to a humble place

To force a feeling of calm and grace

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Lay down your head, they urge me to do

I listen to a symphony of voices and clues

Life may be changing like the tides in the sea

But sleep always escapes me regardless of my plea

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I return to the melody in compound time

Waltzing and bowing to life’s brutal crimes

Taking and taking my sanity is lost

But maybe, just maybe I can afford the cost

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To you I bid adieu to find my place

I fly and rise above with such humble grace

I follow melodies of wonder

Soon I’ll be entering a slumber