Shiftless

Cool air ruffles my collar
Shifts it into disarray
Takes a measure, then waits
For the oncoming rain
Just another comeuppance
In this long, restless night
As the clock tick tocks
Blending with the noises
That are driving me insane
Even though it’s silent
Outside the petulant room

She turns to face the wall
This shifting commonplace
These fragments momentary
Lost in strange frequencies
That never even out
I know she’s still awake
Her breathing uneven
Her inner voice keening
This cacophony preening
The window still open
To the chaos of the night

And this conscious sigh
Of the wind’s lament
These sheep move away
Quiet as church mice
Waiting for a miracle
A slamming of the door
A recognition in the dark
That will never come
So lies the restless wind
In the cracks between now
And the coming of the dawn.