Sounds of Morning

by Anita S. Pulier


Sleep has infused
his brain with energy
transformed into words.

I watch his mouth moving,
his disheveled silvery hair,
his familiar faraway look.

I try to stay focused
while he lectures
on theories of black holes,

the ninth planet,
evolutionary development,
how the brain works,

religion, politics,
and ultimately,
solutions, not always pretty.
 
Squinting in the pale light
of early morning
I silently review our numbers,

years behind,
years ahead.

Our feet touch,
rustle the sheets
as he decodes

the puzzle
of the very earth
I simply tread upon.
 
I used to wonder why
he shares these
early morning rambles with

a woman who hasn’t
read a science book since 6th grade 
until one morning

he pauses and says, Say something.
I raise my eyebrows, ask, Why?
I like hearing your voice, he says tenderly.


* * * * *

"Sounds of Morning" was previously published in Cultural Weekly and in Anita S. Pulier's  chapbook Sounds of Morning (Finishing Line Press).

Anita S. Pulier’s chapbooks Perfect Diet, The Lovely Mundane, and Sounds of Morning and her books The Butchers Diamond and Toast were published by Finishing Line Press. Her new book Paradise Reexamined was published by Kelsay Books (February 2023). Anita’s poems have appeared both online and in print in many journals and anthologies and she has been the featured poet on The Writers Almanac and in Cultural Weekly.