When You Wake To - A poem

When You Wake To


the neighbor’s dog half awake and whining again

*
the middle of the night fog

*

mice that don’t really care what they are waking to, only
that they can
move through the darkness

of their little worlds, locate
a bite of bread or something
to chew on every now and then.

*

a heartbeat, yours, your lover's,
the merger of the two

*

a rustling in the trash can
near the foot of the mattress,
giving rise to thoughts
that maybe the midnight snack
wasn’t the best idea

*
a hard rain
the neighbor’s toilet running:
competition at 3am

*

tiny feet fleecing the fiberglass
behind the sheet-rock

*
thoughts of your vow not to kill
as you take a shoe
slam hard, once,
on the wall,
hoping that whatever falls
takes with it the rain