elementary sonnet by clive james

Tired out from getting up and getting dressed
I lie down for a while to get some rest,
And so begins another day of not
Achieving much except to dent the cot
For just the depth appropriate to my weight – 
Which is no chasm, in my present state.
By rights my feet should barely touch the floor
And yet my legs are heavy metal.  More
And more I sit down to write less and less,
Taking half an hour’s break from helplessness
To craft a single stanza meant to give
Thanks for the heartbeat which still lets me live:
A consolation even now, so late – 
When soon my poor bed will be smooth and straight.

From “Sentenced to Life” Clive James 2015.  Pan Macmillan London.