2 Am Poem by D.N. Rebb

The room is silent
Apart from
The sound of the ticking clock
It's two a.m.
And dark
I can't sleep
It's odd how loud the clock is
It makes the same sound all day
Yet I don't hear it then
Something triggered earlier
My mind can't seem to let it go
When in doubt
I make a pro-con list
Whichever has the most comments
Wins
It was evenly matched
I'm not good with tough decisions
And never ask for help
I'm craving a beer
But's it's two in the morning
I've come to terms
With my drinking
I know I'm an alcoholic
There, I said
There're millions of us in existence
But I've never grabbed a drink in the middle of the night
That's for real alcoholics
Those who can't go through the day without a swallow
I'm not there yet
I'm just a beginner

The calm is interrupted
The sound of a transport engine-braking
I always find this so rude
It's loud
And startling
Especially when you're driving right beside the truck
This one seems to go on for a very long time
It must be one steep hill
I almost feel like sticking my head out the window
And yell
It's two in the morning
But that would just wake up the neighbors
Ah, screw them anyway
With their suburban lawns
And pink flamingo ornaments
And their timed sprinkler system
That probably just turned on
And their trimmed poodles
That smell better than anyone's great-aunt
Kind of feel sorry for those dogs
I think real dogs laugh at them
They challenge each other
Who would mount that poodle first?
Poor pretty poodle
Probably safely asleep in a doggie-bed
I never hear any barking at night
But they yap all day long
Hey Spike,
Go bonk her already

I hear someone upstairs flush
I'm not the only one up now
Wasn't really primed for conversation
But the door closes again
I'm still alone
Now,
What was bothering me again?