I wake up with a backache while it’s still dark. I have to check the clock to see if it’s night or morning. Morning—barely. It’s bad. Like all the muscles around my spine have frozen and are python-squeezing it. It’s uncomfortable to lay down, but it hurts to walk. I’m tired, but I can’t get to sleep. On the downstairs couch I prop some pillows and pile some blankets into a nest and am able to find a position that isn’t uncomfortable. I can almost fall back asleep. —Excerpt