i know

by the streak
of fire
lancing
through my arm
as my clumsy body
rolls over
to spring my mind
to wakeful
exasperation

it will take time
to fall asleep
huddled against
the wall of pillows
that make the empty bed
seem

alive

even as
the deafening hush
speaks volumes
in the tenacious
silence

i wonder

in the
all hallowed quiet
of the ass crack
of forever

if
all the unheard prayers

just contribute
to the greenhouse gases
smothering
the planet

an image
a stainless steel dragon
laying fat
on a trove
of platinum coins
each representing
a hope
unfulfilled
countless
boundless
incomprehensible
in it’s magnitude

and me

just wanting
to go back
to fucking sleep