“Oh, why can’t I get to sleep?
I have been here for ages; I just want to weep!

I have tried everything –
Slurping warm milk, reading a book,
Plumping my pillows enthusiastically
and then bashing them into a nook.

Lying upside down in my bed,
Thinking about all the different shades of red!
My brain is buzzing with all sorts of thoughts –
Like what happens to all the stolen passports?
And why is Mr Green wearing those odd-looking shorts?

Bizarre and random crazy ideas,
Zig-zag across my brain’s hemisphere.
I need to cool my brain down,
Slow my breathing and stop a meltdown.

Eureka! I know what I can do,
Count sheep backwards from one hundred to two!”

Artwork: COUNTING SHEEP by Gemma Creegan