5:45 AM On A Tuesday

I lie awake in the pre-dawn light,
the chill of the air pressing on me held back
by the a sheet that has trapped my body’s heat.
The pillows and bed radiate my warmth as well.

As I lie here I listen to the birds,
so many songs rising and falling and darting around.
I can’t distinguish them from one another,
instead I allow them to blend to become a larger piece.

I keep my eyes closed
and the slow rising of the sun,
the bridging of dark and light,
becomes a bright shadow on my eyelids.

This is a place where time stops.
Nothing exists beyond what has been described here.
There is no North Korea, no Boston, no war in the Middle East.
This is a place of peace.