A Howling Yawn

A Howling Yawn</u>
36 – Precious</i>
8-07-08
(Inspired by the true events that transpired while trying to get a room of three year olds to go to sleep)

A siren sounds;
All eyes turn to look in its direction...
Until an authoritative voice
Issues the command: SLEEP!
        The children turn,
        Sleepy eyes close once more,
        And a tired teacher is left to calm down
        The emotional, exhausted child.

The sonorous sound continues,
But echoed amongst it are pale, gasped words.

         I want ... MY</i> blanket...
...want the...fixed dum....my...

...
There is a moment of total silence;
With snores soaring above all other noise,
Has the teacher succeeded?
A colossal yawn stops the siren at mid screech...
...briefly,
    Until it remembers it has to protest sleeping
        Under another’s blanket,
                 Even though there is clear exhaustion.

Intermittently the sound continues,
Sandwiched between yawns
Buttered with gasped words,
Until with one final flutter of a gasped breath
            It stops.
Those tired eyes blink their sleepy Morse-code messages,
Announcing sleeps imminent arrival.