I wake while sound sleeps
the pumping of blood
from an accelerating heart
trying tinnitus, buzzing into the brain

as far as an eye can see
no bathroom lights, kitchen lights
no late night living room brawls
nor a balcony staring back with a full glass

I wake while songs, sons ‘n’ Sun sleep
a physiological soundtrack underscores singleness:
gurgling interiors, rushing fluid
snapping joints, groans the still could hear

the acidic burn of last night’s dinner
reminds me in early hours: we carry histories
in organs, consequences in flesh;
or so I do. I do.

I wake while counting the rings and ribs
of a slice of tree and a trunk of life
it’s all there, drunken with memory

there is no serenity during one’s wake

                           —animasuri’24