Sleeping

March 26, 2000

Rising and falling in whispered sighs,
His chest heaves under the light weight of the
Cotton sheets pulled loosely across his chest and
Held in place by the viscous pressure of my stare.
 

His body at an angle that bring his shoulders
Square with nothing, his head turned so that
His unconcerned face is open to the blind ceiling,
He lies vulnerable in this bed.
 

I study the lines on his face,
The places where the skin creases
When his lips spread wide and thin
Into a smile with his teeth barely showing,
The selfish eye lids which hide
His cool iridescent blue eyes
Guard there treasure with a solemn dignity,
And ask me to look away.
 

It’s these moments before dawn when
The silvery light of the full moon plays
Harsh dirges upon the bed sheets
That I find myself awed at his beauty.
 

In these consuming moments of egoism and self-loathing
I find myself craving to see his dreams
To know if I am embedded into them,
Engrained into him at this unconscious level.
 

But his eyes open and the irreverent moonlight
Floods his iris into a deep blue
And I am caught in my selfish thoughts
And yet he only smiles,
Creasing his skin and baring his teeth
And placing his hand against my face,
A gentle gesture full of kindness and love,
Says to me to sleep.


for Matt...  1