What's With Us, Anyway? Poem by Leonard Dabydeen

Wake up smiling
think for a moment
there is something unusual
in the way you nest your face
on the feathered pillow
you, too, are smiling
what’s with us, anyway?

Outstretch my right arm
and pull the soft blanket
just a notch over your shoulder
my fingers nibble your ear
and your forehead registers
a sharp acknowledgement
with a frown
a freckled smile
I remember well as your insignia
that something’s amiss
perhaps not an act of mischief
but it was left for me to decipher
what’s with us, anyway?

I must hurry back to bed
set my sail of slumber
without waving to the moon
waxing and waning
looking at me
through fragile window panes
the ghost of this night in bliss
soon will pass
as I yearn for more of this moment
touch me
touch me
what’s with us, anyway?

Smile before you ask
what’s with you anyway?
romancing the mind
with a cacophony
cover me in this dream
with your soft blanket
I must close my eyes
before I wake again
what’s with us, anyway?