afternoon sleep

she lies on the mattress, a sprawl of limbs and tangled hair. the sunlight streaming through the window casts a glow on her skin, illuminating the gentle rise and fall of her chest. her name is anu, and she's a stranger to me, yet in this moment, i feel a deep connection to her stillness. the world outside recedes, and all that's left is the soft sound of her breathing, a reminder that sometimes, the most profound thing we can do is simply be. anu's eyes flicker, and for an instant, i think she'll wake, but she sinks back into the depths of sleep, a slow smile spreading across her face. what dreams she's chasing, i can only imagine, but in this moment, i'm grateful to bear witness to her rest, to the gentle curves of her body, relaxed and unselfconscious. as i watch, a fly buzzes around her head, landing lightly on her hair, and still, she doesn't stir. it's as if she's tapped into a deeper current, one that flows beneath the surface of the world, a reminder that even in stillness, there's a beauty that's both fierce and fragile.