Sleep Training

Jay Deshpande

Of course I had my

Mother, my first other,

My way, my wail,

My ladle. And of course

I saw the lie, the light,

The heaven on the ceiling.

(Feeling, a sun, my heaven.) Anoint 

At night I did, and by the way

I saw a shah, a shoe,

A shadow shorten. I didn’t

Want to go to bed. Of course

The way was long, I knew,

And night was what it

Wasn’t. A lamp left on

Could call to me. This would be 

My road awhile. And love had 

Made me do it.

Jay Deshpande is the author of Love the Stranger and The Umbrian Sonnets. He directs the Brooklyn Poets Mentorship Program and works as a psychotherapist.
Originally published:
December 15, 2025

Featured

Searching for Seamus Heaney

What I found when I resolved to read him
Elisa Gonzalez

What Happened When I Began to Speak Welsh

By learning my family's language, I hoped to join their conversation.
Dan Fox

When Does a Divorce Begin?

Most people think of it as failure. For me it was an achievement.
Anahid Nersessian

You Might Also Like

The Stranger

Melissánthi,
translated by Kathryn Maris

Memoir

Emily Hoffman


Newsletter

Sign up for The Yale Review newsletter to receive our latest articles in your inbox, as well as treasures from the archives, news, events, and more.