Written as a list of chores, this poem turns a sleepless night into a strange kind of schedule. The speaker wakes, drinks chocolate, moves to another room, reads, writes, and listens. None of it feels urgent. The tone is quiet and oddly cheerful, as if being awake were a small gift rather than a problem.
The details are playful and a little puzzling. "Order a fat lie and write about it" suggests the speaker is feeding on invention, perhaps turning the night's restless thoughts into fiction or verse. "Hear the noise of other works" could mean other people's books and writing, or just the hum of the house at night. The last line shifts the mood. Having made the night bearable, even pleasant, the speaker still has to "wish myself not to see the bed," which hints at the bed's pull and the fear of lying down and failing to sleep. The poem feels calm on the surface, with a thread of weariness underneath.