that muscle-jerking moment right before sleep
a quick jolt
like falling, tripping, collapsing

eyes close, and
consciousness rushes closer and closer to soot-infested earth
wrapping around skin and bones like singed blankets and tattered cloth

earth’s last chance to tug us back to reality
earth’s final attempt to guard our destructive thoughts and dreams
sealed like Tupperware in the core of our heads
to smack our faces with logic, reason, and burden

but we still dream

we still drop down into the haziness of our past
drive down to the fibers of our soul and take a
deep breath,
where at last,
pride, lust, and dark satisfaction are freed