It starts somewhere around 3 or 4 or 5 am

That numb feeling in your arms

That sharp stab in your back

 

You think again about getting

A new mattress

So you roll over

 

And discover you have to cough

Or sneeze, or go to the bathroom

The faded memory of a dream

 

Hangs in the air

Unresolved as usual

And its molecules sparkle

 

And separate in mid air

Floating off into space

Then the sun comes up

 

The alarm goes off

You roll the other way

Hit the snooze

 

But your brain tells you to get going

Or you will be late

And if you get up now

 

You will be less late

The ritual begins with filling the

Water well in the coffee maker

 

Selecting a cup

And petting the cat that has come

To sit with you in the kitchen

 

While you sip that hot

Welcome reward

For spending the night in bed

 

By Diane E. Dockum

©April 12, 2016