Then the wind comes out of nowhere
tearing through the neighborhood
slamming into windows and kicking over trashcans
like a gang of hoodlum children
or a pissed-off chorus of ghosts
and then it’s gone
slam and crash and boom and then nothing
The cats are crying and unusually close
they know something I don’t
the silence is more disturbing than the storm
The bedroom door is cracked
and I have the strangest feeling
like someone’s going to turn the corner
an unknown face will appear in the doorway
my eyes are playing tricks in the darkness
The front door is always locked
but I get up to double check
and take a look in every room
before I crawl back into bed
and my lover wraps around me
she’s already half-asleep
now I’m kissing her goodnight
and she’s already asleep
her breasts are gently pressed against my back
Soon she’s sleeping on top of the covers
spreading out and making shapes in the moonlight
she’s not trying to be seductive
she’s only trying to sleep
and I feel like I haven’t slept in years