Heat Index

[pax]

The hair I will carry with me to the bridal bed
sticks to the back of my neck,
tangles uncomfortably in the dark.
I lift my hands above my head, wrists limp,
pinning myself to the sheets in hope of finding sleep.

The minutes, parched, crawl forward.
Jesus, who knows thirst, says, You can do all things...
I stack the extra pillows just so on your side
of the bed, three pillows, then one below them,
then the last below it. There is a reason for this.

Ice melts in the bottle on the floor.
Meanwhile you sweat it out on the other side
(not of the bed) and together we
coordinate our rising and our waking,
our wherever you go, there I will go with you.

It is complicated. The heat index depends
on the temperature itself plus humidity, UV, allergens, et cetera.
Likewise this waiting gets worse or better with sleep,
with gentle words, unspeakable thoughts
formed out loud between your rough consonants.

 

[ZeroDude]

Brilliant, I love your almost conversational style, you bring an epic scale to simple obversations through your wording, excellent Pax

 

[ewen]

The hair I will carry with me to the bridal bed
sticks to the back of my neck,
tangles uncomfortably in the dark.
I lift my hands above my head, wrists limp,
pinning myself to the sheets in hope of finding sleep.

The minutes, parched, crawl forward.
Jesus, who knows thirst, says, You can do all things...
I stack the extra pillows just so on your side
of the bed, three pillows, then one below them,
then the last below it. There is a reason for this.

Ice melts in the bottle on the floor.
Meanwhile you sweat it out on the other side
(not of the bed) and together we
coordinate our rising and our waking,
our wherever you go, there I will go with you.

It is complicated. The heat index depends
on the temperature itself plus humidity, UV, allergens, et cetera.
Likewise this waiting gets worse or better with sleep,
with gentle words, unspeakable thoughts
formed out loud between your rough consonants.

you're missing a pillow but it's safe with me. it may be the smallest of my five but it offers the most comfort as I too battle the heat at night.

 

[For Honor]

For some reason it makes me think of the Stones song - "undercover of the night", hahaha


But good luck.
Sometimes I just don't sleep, but I suppose that is not always the best option....

nice

 

[lazarus]

LOVED IT.

so many things going on here. stylistically so hard to pin down, but not tricksy.

the second stanza's "there is a reason for this" reminds me of Michael Ondaatje, the poet/novelist who wrote The English Patient. And that's very high praise.