I Fall Asleep When I Wake You

David Kamara

I fall asleep when I wake you, you the same

So we never share a line together

It’s always, “Wake up!”, and the lights on,

With the music turned off so one may hear the other

And ends with a yawn—I guess that we share—

But one of us thuds the floor and the other gently steps

They’ve got a whole day they must prepare

The other? It doesn’t matter

Swing rice bags and slosh pans of water,

You will not wake them with any tool

If they had a dentist appointment or a debt owed

They’ll miss both, but I suppose still lose a tooth

So it’s not all bad

But I get sad because I do not know you

Other than a sleeping charmer

A dozing blue

Who could you be outside your cozies?

A preacher

A farmer

A decorated officer turned deplorable puke?

Is it better I never know? Stick to my fables galore?

Oh, you just snored

In the most cutely gross way possible

Oh, there you snore again

And great, I’m getting sick of it already

But I don’t want to leave or head into a dream

I want you to explain to me yours