Magpie Tales, Week Ten

I lay on my side, eyes closed,

counting seconds.

One thousand one.

One thousand two.

One thousand three.

Earlier in the shower

I counted how long to rinse my hair –

one thousand fifty nine,

one thousand sixty.

One minute is long enough

to rinse the soap

and the day down my back,

around my ankles,

in whirls around the drain.

But now, damp hair on my pillow,

I count… what?

The number of seconds

till sleep shoulders its way

through the crowd?

The number of pounds

I've lost or gained?

Or perhaps it is the

number of days before

he touches me again.

In the morning,

I count the number

of times I can hit snooze

before leaving the warm bed.

I put my arm around him,

trying to melt against his side,

trying to erase my dream demons,

trying to say how much I love him

in this chaste embrace.

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