Sleepiness
Light cascades like a shower over the body of dawn.
Yet I am still, deep in sleep,
Something tightens inside my chest,
my breath pauses—
as if I am slipping
into an even deeper sleep.
In the depth of sleep,
the morning air outside spreads its tenderness.
Behind closed doors,
like a child, I swim through dreams.
How far have I traveled,
how much time have I crossed?
There is no measure for it.
Never did I imagine
sleep could have such scales.
Sleep is dear to me.
Like a shade of peace,
something smiles within.
With a cheerful heart,
I play in the field
all afternoon long.
Before I even notice,
the games have stopped.
Night falls,
darkness thickens.
Crossing the dark,
when did dawn arrive again?
How many birds sing in the morning air,
how much light falls softly—
there is no keeping count.
Inside this closed room,
only the hours of sleep remain.
Morning air walks a long road outside,
while I, within sleep,
cross over to that distant land of Kusumpur.
Before dreams fully break,
the body grows strangely heavy.
Someone once said,
Waking early fills the heart with freshness,
sets life in motion.
So I only wonder—
are we all,
in some way,
such lovers of sleep?
Md. Mahbubul Alam is from Bangladesh. His writer name is Mahbub John in Bangladesh. He is a Senior Teacher (English) of Harimohan Government High School, Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh. Chapainawabganj is a district town of Bangladesh. He is an MA in English Literature from Rajshahi College under National University. He has published three books of poems in Bangla. He writes mainly poems but other branches of literature such as prose, article, essay etc. also have been published in national and local newspapers, magazines, little magazines. He has achieved three times the Best Teacher Certificate and Crest in National Education Week in the District Wise Competition in Chapainawabganj District. He has gained many literary awards from home and abroad. His English writings have been published in Synchronized Chaos for seven years.
Once when he was in grade ten in 1990, his Bangla letter was selected as the best one from Deutsche Welle, Germany Radio that broadcast Bangla news for the Banglalee people. And he was given 50 Dutch Mark as his award. They would ask letters from the listeners to the news in Bangla and select one letter for the best one in every month.
From 17 to 30 September, in 2018 he received a higher training in teaching English language in Kasetsart University of Thailand for secondary level students through a government order from education ministry.
On 06 November 2015 he achieved Amjad Ali Mondal Medal for his contribution in education field by a development organization in the conference and felicitation function for the honorable personalities at Rajshahi College Auditorium.
On 30 December 2017 from West Bengal in India he was declared a ‘Literary Charioteer’ in Bangobandhu Literary and World Bango Conference and they awarded him with a Gold Medal in their International Literary Conference and Prize Giving Ceremony.
In 2018, he achieved Prodipto Lirerary Award in Prodipto Literary Conference at Kesorhat, Rajshahi for poems in Bangla literature. He received honorary crest from the administration of Chapainawabganj District Literary Conference and Cultural Function in 2021 and 2022 consecutively.
His poems have been published in many international online magazines such as Juntos Por las L Raven Cage Zine, and Area Felix. His poems have been translated and published in Argentine and Serbian, and he participated in many international online cultural meetings.