this is how you wake up
limbs outstretched, eyes crusted
like a story your mother used to tell you
unsure of where you start and the dream ends
this is how you go through the day
teeth, hair, smiles, how do you do, how do you do
the exhausting task of being human
the impossible task of being civil
only that one moment, that point where your head is still on the pillow
are you, you
you cannot hear whoosh of the shower downstairs
or the siren calls coming from the neighbor’s dogs
you hear you, working and living and laying still
this is how you breathe.