i woke
stared up
at the ceiling
listened
carefully to
the world
outside
silence
except for
the occasional
coffee can
exhaust
rumbling in
the night
i whispered
my love
into the dark
and slept

i woke
heart hammering
stared up
at the ceiling
breathing
to calm
the thunder
in my chest
i whispered
my love
into the night
and slept

i woke
head throbbing
stared up
at the ceiling
surfing on
waves of pain
found the one
position
that seemed
to slightly
lessen
the discomfort
i whispered
my love
into the aether
and kept on
staring

time loses
all sense of
passage
in the silence
between
red hot barbs
in the pauses
between fervent
prayers
curled into a
ball trying
to become
small enough
to vanish
from under the
oppressive fist
of goddamned quiet
seeking only
a few minutes
more sleep
or the warmth
of you pressed
tight against me

i glared
at the screen
as the alarm
tore across
the quiet of
predawn suffering
staring up
at the ceiling
softly shouting
my love
between notes
of sparrow song
longing for
another hour
of sleep