I Awaken (To a Bad Day)

I awaken and discover that I am no more than a tangle of dying roots clinging to parched gray earth.

I awaken to the sound of mice scratching at the inside of my walls.

I awaken with the memory of a knife in my hands and blood.

I awaken alone in a bed once shared.

I awaken to the sound of my own heart, convinced that it faltered.

I awaken and discover that the sun has come and gone.

--Mitchell Hegman