Saturday, March 28, 2020

Saturday

I did not sleep in this morning
as I had told myself I would
before turning in last night.

For one thing I am too old
to sleep in anymore, anyway, and
I roll out early no matter what,

and, no matter what, I take a nap about midday
everyday ordinarily for about half an hour
enjoying the cheap luxury of not giving a hoot.

At night, you might ask, are you in bed ordinarily by around
nine and I would answer yes. pretty much, as I have no TV
and you might wish to ask if my days are always this dull.

Oh, they've been this way pretty much for several years now...
before the politicians cramped our daily styles, trying their best
to keep a crashing economy from crushing their benefactors--

--and to save lives, of course! Oh my, nearly forgot...oh,
I did not. Trying to be cute here, as I have no TV to
confuse and accuse and amuse and enthuse and infuse

me with sponsored consensus, which I would accept only
if it agreed with my circumstances of comfort or aspirations, and
avoided agitating my irritations, or a particular one of my friends

by NOT CONSTANTLY SAYING EXISTENTIALISM!!
which wouldn’t bother me particularly unless I heard it
more than once an hour, or, upon reflection, every few days.

Where were we...oh, yeah, I was thinking to explain why
I’d decided to sleep in this morning, and why, upon reflection,
I am feeling somewhat remiss for not walking as usual

with my walking buddy, who’s stuck in her home teaching
university classes via the World Wide Web while
I’m stuck in my apartment trying to write what looks like poems.

Weather experts last night forecast a 14% chance of rain for
this morning, and although I knew the chance of this was
as good as my recollection now of the 14%, the odds were close

enough to affirm my body’s desire to start the day out a little
differently than the usual up, Facebook, out, walk walk walk
Facebook, breakfast, vitamins, legal pharmaceuticals, shower

Facebook, curse Zuckerberg, thank Zuckerberg, etc. etc.--
why does it seem necessary always to do two etceteras
when, as per the outhouse sign, my mother told me, one will do?

Rolling out this morning an hour earlier than the usual five, and
shuffling into what the British call the water closet to pee
I noticed it was so dark out I could not see if the promised

raindrops were pockety pocketying on the usual puddle outside
the northwest window which, if they were, I could sleep in
without remorse, and start my day without the walk walk walk.

At this point I became annoyed, with the weather experts
and with the rain god or gods for forcing me to step outside
to see for myself there were no raindrops or even puddles.

Really pissed now that I had based my anticipated sleep-in
on unreliable scientific prognostication, albeit knowing
the inherent unpredictability of atmospheric gamboling

I hissed to myself, to hell with it, and climbed back under
the covers for that extra hour of what should have been
blissful sleep, except my irritation interfered, and here I am.
                                                                                                                                   m.d. paust

6 comments:

  1. Oh Mathew I know this feeling well: not going for a walk and thanking heavens if it is raining outside so that one needn't leave that cozy, comfortable quilt. I was down in the dumps today but this poem (at the fag end of the day) has cheered me up. Thanks.

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    1. So glad my words helped, Neeru, And your appearing here has cheered me up! It's been a long time, and I hope and trust you are in good health despite being down in the dumps, which, I'm thinking has become its own little pandemic among even the healthiest of us. Thanks a bunch for dropping by!

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    2. "despite being down in the dumps, which, I'm thinking has become its own little pandemic among even the healthiest of us. "

      Oh God! I have missed your wit so much.

      I am glad I'll be visiting more often, now that I've revived my blog, albeit shifted it at Wordpress. here's the link, in case you are interested:

      https://ahotcupofpleasureagain.wordpress.com/

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    3. Yay! I'm heading over there post haste!

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  2. I am the opposite, can't go to bed now before 12ish and then may or may not sleep through the night. And then sleep late if I can. Sleeping has always been a problem for me but more so now.

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    Replies
    1. Retirement and living alone has changed my daily routines drastically from the work and family dynamic, Tracy. There are times I miss those old days, but am enjoying so much my freedom now that it's hard to imagine being that younger self anymore.

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