He only wore his glasses at night, before bed I found him sleeping on the cot, in the quietness of the basement In a room with a clay colored armoire That I would hide in when we played house. After everyone was asleep, I would take an adventure down the stairs To his new hiding place. Creeping, tip toeing, watching every step Dodging lego pieces and plastic food for my kitchen His glasses were on the night stand He was sound asleep But I didn't care I wanted to see him I wanted him to tell me everything was okay I wanted him to explain the mystery of life to me In his ever so intelligent manner. I was a stone, cold and frozen Unable to make my way back up the mountain of stairs Afraid of an avalanche The room was lined with white carpet, stained from ice pops and nail polish Lingering near the armoire, I hoped I would find what I was looking for The secret treasures that he was protecting in this room, in the darkness of the basement Maybe it was full of gold from the king Or perhaps it was filled with magic nobody knew I could hear creaking from the armoire, almost waking him But the only thing I could find were his suitcases, one third filled with clothes one third filled with betrayal, guilt, fear And now one third filled with my knowledge of his intentions As he awakes, he is at a loss for his words Fortunately, I never lost mine.