It’s like this when you wake up early
And your eyes follow the new light where it will go
Along the curves of your own body to the folds of the sheets
To the dog at the end of the bed
Resting there to be as close as possible
To the window,
The cool air of the outdoors,
The steady breaths and the distant dreams
The softness and the warmth
And the early light and birdsong.
I resist rising
To curl myself around the little dog
To share her sleep and read her dreams
And to be there by the fire
Part of the pack
Ready at any moment
To howl
Except that this is no time
For a song to the moon.
Only now on this new day
Under these soft sheets and
At a remove for the pack
Whose representative lay at the foot of my bed
Am I learning my place.
Sandy Carlson Social