Morning Ritual

Awakened,
by the hammer of the gods
guiding our ship to new lands
in its best Robert Plant voice,
A current of coffee laps up on the hull of my bed
warming my nose,
softening the waves of reality as best it can
as I drift into today
knowing the time,
but not the day
the sweet fat of bacon
whispering “it’s ok, it’s morning normal”
I inhale the lie,
holding its salty scent in
as long as I can,
Grateful for small betrayals

– Morning Ritual © Mike Chernoff 4/4/2020

From the collection Carry-out Carton Fortress