i stumble out
of bed into sweatpants and
socks and slippers.
before i read
the news, i boil water
to make coffee.
so many concerns
for my little body to
handle right now.
my nose leaks
and so does the rest
of me, differently.
i just want
to be ready when the
light comes in.
to be ready
when the hinges and windows
start to talk.
the world speaks
and sometimes each of us
is only ever
quiet enough to
hear it in the night,
lost and found.
we sleep and
sounds wander the room on
soft animal feet.
do you hear
the raccoons? they are a
horde of pirates
under the sill,
giggling about apples and trash
in the gravel.
a lonely bear
lumbers through the alley and
the raccoons scatter.
and i dream
of a book made in
conversation with God.
— Joe Braun
Tootles Methuselah ( Joe Braun) is the co-creator of LuNaMoPoLiS, co-founder of the Full Moon Poetry Jam in Morrison Alley, and a graduate of the Jack Kerouac School.
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
Send poetry submissions of 250 words or fewer to poetry@boulderweekly.com. Poets will be invited to read their published work at 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 26 at an event hosted by Starwater, 4949 Broadway, Suite 117, Boulder.
