Sleepwalkers

My older brother was a sleepwalker
crawled out of bed while everyone
was sleeping

then out the door
to play in the cool sand
then back to bed

we lived in the country on a dirt road
no worry about traffic
or strangers

no one would know about his habit
except one night I followed him out
and watched him from the shadows.

When we moved to the suburbs
he was too busy to roam
but my little brother took over

except the younger one slept on the top bunk
each night I could hear a thump
then see him walk out the back door

the dog followed close behind
to protect him
from wandering away.

My sons didn’t sleep walk
as far as I know
but it seems my grandson

is a night wanderer
playing his games
exploring those spaces

where he plays
in the day content and busy
but at night, asleep.

What do the three
have in common?
They are all boys

dreamers,
pressures too I guess, the oldest
from being the first born

the other two
from being
the youngest

or maybe they just fall into a deep sleep
but have hours of play left over from the day
and refuse to let darkness confine them.