It's always quiet at 4 a.m.,
The sun is not yet over the horizon,
The birds are not singing,
and everything is silent.

Sitting out in a little yard,
A snake in my hands,
Curled up in a lawn chair,
I am at peace.

It is 6 a.m. when I go back inside,
For real, anyways,
The snake in the tank as I sit and I hum,
Waiting for the house to wake up.

The sun rising in the sky,
The birds singing their songs,
I am still at peace.

It is 7 a.m.
When breakfast is made,
And everything is loud once more.
I sit in a room,
Hiding my ears,
and try to rest for once.

These morning just repeat,
And repeat,
Until the week later I leave,
I say good bye to my family,
and rest in a new yard,
Watching the sunrise again.

It is 4 a.m. when I awake,
and sit, curled up in a chair,
with a dog by my side,
remembering my mother.