Night Tricks

by Hal Sirowitz

I never think when I'm in bed, Father said. I put myself under the sheets to forget about the day. When I was younger I used to toss and turn thinking of ideas that could help me in business, and once I stayed up all night, and in the morning I rushed to my boss to tell him my plan on how to make us rich. He laughed at me; I felt like a jerk. The night plays tricks on you - it makes you think you're smarter than you are. That's why I always go to bed early and let your mother stay up late.

6S

Hal Sirowitz has been featured on MTV's Spoken Word Unplugged and NPR's All Things Considered. His six sentences are an altered version of a poem included in Mother Said.