Every night I lie awake
And every day I lie abed
And hear the doctors, Pain and Death,
Confering at my head.
They speak in scientific tones,
Professional and low—
One argues for a speedy cure,
The other, sure and slow.
To one so humble as myself
It should be matter for some pride
To have such noted fellows here,
Conferring at my side.

I'm the shell
rocking in place
suspended in the surf
as the waves come and go
-- and trust me, they always go --
weathered by the sea's
rhythmic betrayal
with the wave's triumphant
and lustful crash
followed by its
sorrowful retreat  
-- a song as old
as the tides themselves
-- heartbreak

From daydream to daydream
My thoughts skip on the surface
of consciousness

the key that opens also locks - choose your actions carefully

It pants, tugs, strains, yearns
Wrestles with its collar
Tags clink and chime
Songs of persistence

They shut down
the world
around me
but I’m still sublime
because I exist entirely
inside of my mind

the streets are quiet
the world is still
i finally notice
the birds chirping
on my windowsill