saturday

My mouth tastes of overslept. The faint sound of the gently falling rain slips inside from the cracks under the doors and windows. A bird seeks refuge in the bathroom exhaust fan and chirps now and then. Benadryl-induced sleep and valium-induced calm. My mind is blank, empty. On a corner of the pillow-case, a memory struggles to die.

When my eyelids touch they create a horizontal line of fire across my eyes. Ammi strokes my wrist and says something. I can’t hear her; there is a cloud in my head. The world is muffled, shapes and sounds are indistinct. Life meets my perception filtered. Somewhere far, far away, time is passing.