Gelato Implications in Collisional Augmented Poetic Constructions

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I’m sure my friends over in English have the proper phrase. 

We are talking about poetry, and they are academics. 

And that is what we do, isn’t it?  

We make up phrases for conference programs, 

Or titles for articles in learned journals. 

“An Exploration of the Epistemological and Theoretical Implications of  

Collisionally Augmented Poetic Constructions.” 

I am thinking of a form of poetry 

That draws meaning from the improbable  

Intersection of two trains of thought. 

It is approaching 2 AM, so one train is insomnia. 

The other, for no particular reason, is a piazza in Florence 

That houses, according to our guidebook, 

Two exceptional gelato shops. 

Both claim to be the best in the city. 

The inevitable intersection  

Of these two trains of thought  

Demands a deeper consideration of the  

Various flavors of insomnia. 

Basic, of course, is vanilla insomnia. 

A subtle form, you may not realize 

You are involved in it until you notice 

That midnight has turned to 2 AM. 

Mild concerns ping the cranium. 

Chocolate insomnia is the darker shade. 

You brought the seeds to bed with you. 

The “I should have saids!” the “Oh, yeahs?” 

Chocolate insomnia is a pillow thumper, 

A fan adjuster, a fetch a glass of water 

Variant of the breed. 

Your chocolate cherry insomnia 

Is all of the above, but sweeter.

Irritating, of course, but sprinkled

With a happy occasional recollection.

Perhaps the fleeting memory of 

A favorite face or place.

Not surprising, pistachio insomnia 

Can drive you nuts. 

Layered between chucks of dreams 

It masquerades as sleep, blending 

The real exasperations of the day 

With those we construct internally  

Until we are unable to mark the difference. 

Peach insomnia is rare and gentle. 

Sweet thoughts shepherd memories, 

Sunny and drowsy. 

Still awake, but pleasantly so, 

You drift down the river that leads, 

Sometime before morning, 
To actual sleep. 

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