The narrator speaks of a son who sometimes complains about days of sleeplessness. The father, known for his skill and calm under pressure, delivers a lecture that starts by pointing out how many things seem to conspire against rest. The son interrupts, saying he has lost his comfortable sleeping spot amid the turmoil of climate talk and the constant rhythm changes that come with daylight saving time. Who has misplaced the night’s calm? The tall, easygoing young man knows how to draw attention, and the father sets the computer aside, inviting him to share more.
He explains that he does have a sleep position, while the father—who never seems to keep a fixed pose—feels mostly like one of the decorative objects in a room. The dogs in the car tray and the family’s routines echo the cultural flares seen on television. Could the body be turned toward a metaphorical sarcophagus? The seasons shift, and the scene shifts with them. The memory of sleep comes and goes, sometimes resting on the stomach, sometimes changing with a sigh. The move from one position to another happens naturally, much like how black birds return at spring. Yet for days, there is no such ease. No hug to hold the pillow, no arm crossed in a familiar way. The question lingers: where exactly did the sleep posture go?
The father answers by instinct, realizing that the same struggle affects him as it does the son. Attention had wandered elsewhere for a while, leaving the present moment behind to drift toward places where sleep meant lying on a blue inflatable cushion, a down jacket folded as a makeshift pillow, and the odd comfort of a camp-like setup. And of course sleep comes when there is nothing else to do. But the speaker also recalls the children who linger in memory, those who survive on the streets, who cradle warmth under parked cars, who move whenever a new car arrives. Those images stay with him as he tries to understand his son’s restlessness.
So climate talk and disrupted circadian rhythms add another layer to the closet’s hidden shelves, offering a broader perspective. The privilege of returning to a hotel where a room is showered in steam, where a cloud of warmth and a fluffy pillow invite ease, becomes a contrast to the reality faced by those without a sofa, a mattress, or even memory foam cushions. The stark poverty of not having a resting place is a clear reminder that sleep is not guaranteed to everyone.
Readers may recall the tale of a princess and a pea. A queen seeks a suitable match for her child, yet the right candidate only reveals themselves once a hidden discomfort wakes them. The princess proves herself through sensitivity, but the speaker wonders whether the best match for the son might be someone who can adapt to less-than-ideal sleeping conditions, perhaps in a third-rate car or in an emergency room, someone prepared for life’s unexpected upheavals. The commentary broadens to the loss of perspective that threatens health as surely as greenhouse gases and serotonin fluctuations. Protests in distant streets echo the larger struggle over policies and leadership, a reminder that political decisions ripple beyond borders and affect daily life.
References to public figures and policy shifts underscore a broader sense of uncertainty. Those in power debate retirement ages and reforms, while the public weighs the consequences of new laws and the admission of financial terms that reveal the tension between labor rights, economic needs, and social security. The dialogue touches on the frustrations voiced by policymakers and their critics alike, illustrating how policy debates seep into personal narratives about rest and resilience.
As the discussion returns to the present, the topic turns away from figures and headlines and toward practical, everyday concerns. The thought of a removed bed frame, a city street, and the distant sound of someone snoring marks a moment of quiet recognition. The son seems to have found his sleeping position at last, even if only in a distant, imagined sense, and the narrator accepts that sleep sometimes arrives in sudden, unpredictable ways.