He sleeps with his mouth opens. What comes out sounds like a torrent of water, followed by a screech of the tire, a clap of lightning, rolling “r”s, a clogged pipe gurgling. Sometimes, silence. When it is, I wait, in my bleary state, for the next big gush of crashing tongue, lips and teeth inside the cavity, and the machinery is once again jump-started.
Curious, this oral acrobat shows off when he is least conscious. My cousin once said banging on a door would stop the snoring. It might work when my father was younger, but he is deaf.
His carers said they are used to it. They can sleep through the non-stop assault. I don’t believe them.
image from http://www.yournaturalsleepaids.com
“Oh sleep! it is a gentle thing,
Beloved from pole to pole!
To Mary Queen the praise be given!
She sent the gentle sleep from Heaven,
That slid into my soul.”
S.T. Coleridge, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
…or maybe that didn’t happen!!