Sleep

by Clio Em

I watched you as you observed me in your sleeplessness all night.

You see that my muscles are more toned, my heart beats more evenly. My eyes are even bigger than yours. My skin is a richer brown, my hair a deeper black. My mouth wraps itself around words more easily, as my fingers do around objects. Both move tremendously fast. The neurons in my brain interconnect far more densely, so that the network they form outstrips your own.

I am sorry.

The reason I am sorry is that I am slated to replace you. You know it. This gives me great pain, but it cannot be helped. If you did not know it, it would be easier. Yet you must know it. I must learn from you. At first you resisted, like nearly everyone else.

The ones who shock me are those who do not…