^.........                                          .........^
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                  ~~==~~                  ..........
^.........              ... sleep ...               .........^
~^........                  ^^~~^^                  ........^~
=~^.......                                          .......^~=
†=~^...... sleep is the  most important meal of the ......^~=†
@†=~^..... day.  sleep  is  saying  goodbye  for  a .....^~=†@
£@†=~^.... while.  if you can  dream, you also  get ....^~=†@£
#£@†=~^... to  visit  friends  and  other  animals. ...^~=†@£#
##£@†=~^..                                          ..^~=†@£##
###£@†=~^.                  ..^^..                  .^~=†@£###
##£@†=~^..                                          ..^~=†@£##
#£@†=~^... deeper than death  is  to be  alive  and ...^~=†@£#
£@†=~^.... asleep. it  is death if it was temporary ....^~=†@£
@†=~^.....             and rejuvenating.            .....^~=†@
†=~^......                                          ......^~=†
=~^.......                  ..^^..                  .......^~=
~^........                                          ........^~
^......... sleep  is  a  black  marble  outside  of .........^
.......... which  there  is nothing. inside  is all ..........
.......... the  stars   and   in   the   middle   a ..........
.......... black lake.  at the  foot  of  this lake ..........
..........           stands an old friend.          ..........
..........                                          ..........
^.........                  ..^^..                  .........^
~^........                                          ........^~
=~^....... when  you sleep  all sound  is internal. .......^~=
†=~^...... when  you   sleep  your  brain  shrinks. ......^~=†
@†=~^.....                                          .....^~=†@
£@†=~^....                  ..^^..                  ....^~=†@£
#£@†=~^...                                          ...^~=†@£#
##£@†=~^.. if you wish  to measure sleep, use these ..^~=†@£##
###£@†=~^.    four quantifiers:: grip, deepness,    .^~=†@£###
##£@†=~^..    otherworldiness and revitalization.   ..^~=†@£##
#£@†=~^...                                          ...^~=†@£#
£@†=~^.... grip goes from not being able to  let go ....^~=†@£
@†=~^..... all   day   (left)   to  not  caring  to .....^~=†@
†=~^......             remember (right).            ......^~=†
=~^.......                                          .......^~=
~^........     deepness goes from being several     ........^~
^......... hundred  meters down  (left)  to  barely .........^
..........       touching the surface (right).      ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........    otherworldliness goes from a single   ..........
..........  coherent dreamscape (left), via normal  ..........
.......... dream  amounts  (middle)  to  no  dreams ..........
^.........                 (right).                 .........^
~^........                                          ........^~
=~^....... revitalization  goes  from a  feeling of .......^~=
†=~^...... not having  slept at all (left) to being ......^~=†
@†=~^..... full   of  energy  and   maybe  optimism .....^~=†@
£@†=~^....                 (right).                 ....^~=†@£
#£@†=~^...                                          ...^~=†@£#
##£@†=~^..                    ^^                    ..^~=†@£##
###£@†=~^.                                          .^~=†@£###
##£@†=~^.. high otherworldliness and  high  grip is ..^~=†@£##
#£@†=~^...      a particularly effective combo.     ...^~=†@£#
£@†=~^....                                          ....^~=†@£
@†=~^.....                  ~~==~~                  .....^~=†@
†=~^......             ... see also ...             ......^~=†
=~^.......                  ^^~~^^                  .......^~=
~^........                                          ........^~
^.........              sleep deities               .........^
..........              the blackbird               ..........
..........                solipsism                 ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                  ~~==~~                  ..........
..........            ... furthermore ...           ..........
^.........                  ^^~~^^                  .........^
~^........                                          ........^~
=~^....... this is  still  a  place:  here,  in the .......^~=
†=~^...... silence,  darkness  and   night   -  and ......^~=†
@†=~^..... loneliness,  holding a kind of  dilution .....^~=†@
£@†=~^.... of   reality,  and  suddenly  it's   not ....^~=†@£
#£@†=~^... important that  i  lie  in  my  bed, the ...^~=†@£#
##£@†=~^.. lack   of  presence  brings  the  notion ..^~=†@£##
###£@†=~^. that,  if  i  do  not  choose  sleep,  i .^~=†@£###
##£@†=~^..   choose past, future, something with    ..^~=†@£##
#£@†=~^... more  substance   than  the  objects   i ...^~=†@£#
£@†=~^....          surround myself with.           ....^~=†@£
@†=~^.....                                          .....^~=†@
†=~^......                                          ......^~=†
=~^.......                                          .......^~=
~^........                                          ........^~
^.........                                          .........^
..........                                          ..........