Written by awneitsch on October 16, 2021

SLEEPERS AWAKE – GUADALCANAL DIARY

Social Studies . Songs For The Apocalypse

Sleepers awake

Crusty eyes may open now

You of little faith

The stranger night is over now

Sleepers awake

Pillow holes look frightened, don’t

Turn them all away

Today that calls these shadows home

Someone who bends so close to your face

Watches your eyelids fall

Someone who comes that only you see

Only in dreams they call

Sleepers awake

Call to all the others now

Have they lost their way?

Or is this time all yours somehow?

How it fades away

In the dark, another light

Nothing to say

‘Til the bells of morning chime

We stand in light, no eyes of our own

Frightened that we may fall

Troubled sunsets bring memories back

Only in dreams they call

Sleepers awake (Awake)

It was the title of the song that resonated with me because so many people were sleeping walking through the madness and terror. WOKE was replacing AWAKE. People were dying in their sleep, dying horribly, dying suddenly.

Deep sleep typically brings subconscious visions to the sleeper. Dreams and nightmares are often interpreted as either conflict resolution, wish fulfillment, or pure distractive entertainment therapy.

I dream a lot. I always intend to write down the freaky ones when I wake but it seems to personal an experience to share, even with myself. I have been experiencing sleep interruptions lately. I dream big in-between wakes. The other night I woke from a dream thinking that some large human shaped shadow was leaning over my sleeping form, reaching big hands out to me. I couldn’t move. I woke up cold. That same night, I saw and felt myself stumbling over a beach of rocks and piles of stuffed animals of all species, desperate to find a reliable grip or foothold, to escape something that was after me.

I was desperate and frightened. At some point, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a very large polar bear galloping in my direction. It had splotches of color all over its fur. Red, pink, blue, purple, orange, and green. I had to hide because I couldn’t outrun it. I buried myself in pint sized bunnies, giraffes, kitties, doggies, beavers, foxes, lions and tigers. I thought I was safe. I heard the bear approaching and snuffling. It stopped, exhaled sharply, and lay down on the pile of Gundt I thought I was safe under.

Now what!?

Of course I woke up…again.

Sleep offers opportunities for fun for the awake person. A popular fraternity prank is/was to draw big eyebrows and mustaches, with a felt pen, on sleeping mates in hopes that the sleeper awakes and goes out in public without seeing this tranformation before others do.

Another frat prank calls for ‘friends’ to sneak up on a sleeper and lightly pinch their nose to make breathing uncomfortable and make them gag until they wake. They would have every right to be angry, hopefully enough to lash out violently. Dipping a sleepers finger in warm water has been known to encourage involuntary wetting. What fun!

Numerous studies have shown that sleep is as important to the human mind and body as food, air, and water. Sleep deprivation is known to cause cognitive issues, mood changes, accidents, weakened immunity, high blood pressure, risk of heart disease, weight gain, risk for diabetes, low sex drive and poor balance. Better sit down. Early death or insanity are also side effects.

There are many reasons why people suffer from sleep deprivation. Overwork, shift work, poor sleep hygiene, excessive daytime stimulants like caffeine, aging, sleep apnea, physical illness, mental illness, and societal fear and anxiety can prevent you from getting the required, healing seven to eight hours of sleep per night. Living under the constant threats of tyranny and death as we are now can definitely interfere with restful sleep. Fear of starvation, unemployment and loss of freedoms and bodily autonomy can surely cause (dis)ease. Circadian rhythms and sleep cycles gone to hell.

Guadalcanal Diary was an American ‘alternative’ band that originated in Marietta, Georgia but were included in the Athens scene that produced other great bands such as R.E.M., Widespread Panic, Of Montreal, and the B-52s. G.D. formed in 1981 and disbanded in 1989. During their career, they released six full albums and nine singles. Their music is still fresh now. Songs like ‘Watusi Rodeo’, ‘Get Over It’, and ‘Trail Of Tears’ still get me going with nostalgia.

Nighty night!

Sleepers awake!