Of No Consequence

Usually the night fastens
onto my nerves, ushers me
into the whispers of waking dreams.
But not tonight.
My heart sinks in the acid
of wide awake despair.

The silence clicks like a clock.
Numbers and letters swirl
then stare in sharp final salute,
etched in joy, laughing
at the murderous irony.
My legs won't bear my weight
yet I am light, a thistly seed
blown by the wind
into the sea.
I am embarrassed
to still be alive.

9-01-03