on waking

in the muted pastel stillness of your bedroom,

let the light bend around the corner.

look to vibrating shadows on still white curtains,

the embroidered cloth you have carefully pinned to unevenly-painted walls.

the dry air of windows too-long shut in the summer heat,

artificial stagnant breeze of the air conditioner.

keep the covers on, hold the shells you bought at carefully-polished shops

and found enraptured by sand. the feathers of exotic birds that molted in my reach.

grit of a dog’s unwashed feet in thin sheets,

framed paintings leaning on the floor against the wall.

wonder what you will wear, what tea to drink.

as dreams and day intertwine,

unravel the threads that have tightened in the night.

…

anna-christina betekhtin