Sleep

a thousand lifetimes
wasted following the path
of least resistance
–
spring dawn-
first sunrise
seen again

the sky fades to black-
another episode down
with your hand in mine
–
crisp night air-
the pleiades
overhead

old invitations-
coffee’s brewed in the kitchen
if you’d ever show
–
rising steam-
cozy dreams
of coffee shops

atop cotton sheets
the drone of the ceiling fan
keeping me awake
–
sleeping dogs-
paddle fans spin
in lazy circles

a thief in the night-
sleep steals into the room and
takes me unawares
–
cunning-
the sly sofa
steals my will

a yellow sundress-
the scent of lilac blossoms
carried on the breeze
–
dreams of dawn-
waking memories
of jasmine

wolves of stone and snow
insubstantial in the light
of the forest moon
–
rising embers-
mournful howling
in the distance

a soul deeply flawed
ichorous and fetid cast
from a broken mold
–
bathing rituals-
filing ewers by
the riverbanks

a line of turtles
asleep on a fallen log
as I float on by
–
flat water-
silently
making waves

clearing the tables-
the bartender stacks the chairs
yet we’re still talking
–
lost in your eyes-
waiting to speak
two simple words