floating and leaving no trace
who hid the cloud
when the sun came out
it was here
just a second ago
keeping everything cool
and under a gray light
but now the shadows run
and shrink under our feet
and sweat runs down the
back of my neck
and the unrelenting blue
of the sky is like
a nightlight when
you’re trying to sleep
drowsy and half-lidded
i push the cat away from
the phone
where the alarm clock shows
half an hour to go
but she is persistent
right up to the moment
the music starts playing
my eyes open
no waking up
just awake all at once
like the last three days
i look at my phone
and the green face says 4:45
next to me
your chest rises and falls
your eyes closed
just enough light from
stars
moon
streetlights
for me to see your outline
a halo illuminates your face
your nose
your lips
your throat
i shut my eyes
roll onto my back and my hand
finds yours under the covers
even asleep
you squeeze back
winter
the new sheets go on the bed
flannel to keep out the cold
but still you inch toward me for warmth
seek out my feet with your own icy toes
and shiver
against my chest
I’d like to write a poem every day and see where it takes me. Maybe I’ll write a brand new poem each time. Maybe I’ll post revised versions of poems. Maybe I won’t do anything. Who knows.
Here’s the first one.
We could hear the couple
In the next room
Well, I could hear them since
You slept on and on
While they moaned
And the man said “don’t stop”
And the woman obviously didn’t
And I closed my eyes and tried to
Remember what the neighbors looked like
Tried to picture them in my mind
But stopped myself from waking you
You needed your sleep
After all
And I was the only one afflicted
With the sounds of lust or love or just
Hooking up
And I stopped myself from waking you
Kept my hands to myself
And you didn’t wake up to hear them
And the feelings
Weren’t contagious
After all
Words and Feathers 