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# Vigil(ance)
- URL: https://dianaludwick.com/vigilance/
- Published: 2026-01-25T19:05:35.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T20:12:28.000Z
- Description: "Vigil(ance)," poem 025 in a series of 365 poems written by Diana Ludwick in 2026. Photo by Diana Ludwick (c) 2026.
- Author: Diana Ludwick
- Tags: 2026 Poetry Challenge, Poems, #Migrated-1792872215677, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-10-24 20:03

Yes, I’m up, again  
At twenty past three  
Hyper-vigilant, ever-anxious.  
  
Is my body stuck in this  
state due to hormones?  
I try box breathing,  
visualizing calm tides, to no relief.  
  
An hour ago when I first stirred   
I had crept to the window to assess the status  
of the incoming snow storm.  
  
I glanced, deflated, at what seemed  
yet but a thick dusting;  
Last morning’s beignets had more powder  
than do the bushes that line our drive.  
  
But it’s not precipitation  
from the mega storm  
sweeping the states   
that has me awake and on-alert.  
  
My mind turns and churns  
grasping for any sense in  
what is unfolding.  
  
How many will never   
have their stories told?  
My heart hurts.  
  
My primordial nervous system tells me:  
Stand at attention  
Scan the periphery   
Don’t lose focus  
Beware of bears—in battalions.