A Physical Thing Poem by Lauren Michaels

Days succumb so easily
To the heavy, nullifying trawl.
Of hours. Of time
Viscous and slow.
Receeding even as they approach.

Its the dark, ubiquitous.
When the raw nerves twitch
There I'm awake.
Taut and struggling
With an internal type of withdrawal.

Its then I miss your breathing.
The deep, indelible
Pattern of life.
How it kept me
Calm and steady

Like so many nursery rhymes
That grew like roses
And lent me their scent
To sleep by.