12/18/2003

His sleeping lover
lies
curled up
the curve of
her bare back
pressed warmly
against his side
his eyes
wide open
looking out into
the comfortable hotel room
half lit by
the nightstand light
that is on.
He has
an important job
to do
and
far less than
a good idea
of how
to go about
doing it
which is
what is
keeping him up.
He can hear
the choir singing
but cannot make out
the words
and while
a good night’s sleep
might be what
the doctor would order
it is the music
that demands attention.
Humming the tune
to words
he can only imagine
learning
on the job
something
of long standing interest
more is at stake
than
he would like
something
he repeats to himself
that can’t be helped.