Perfect Timing by Jason de Koff

What is sleep,
but the hard reset,
of the mind.
The brain changes configuration,
releasing toxins,
dispensing cookies.

Repairing the damage,
from cortisol-induced stresses,
reducing sharp edges among the folds,
Bringing to question,
whether names can’t hurt you,
as physical tolls prove otherwise.

Flushing the system,
with the means to motivate,
and shape the daily masterpiece.
Defined by what is left,
the salvaged energy remaining,
after life’s great expectations.

This is the precious time of creation,
before systems crash,
rebooting anew.

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Jason de Koff is an associate professor of agronomy and soil science at Tennessee State University.  He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife, Jaclyn, and his two daughters, Tegan and Maizie.  He has published in a number of scientific journals, and recently has had poetry accepted in other literary journals for the first time.