If you are lonely when you’re alone, you are in bad company. Jean-Paul Sartre

Night Sounds

The entire house sighs.

The day has ended

for child, cats, husband

is ending

for me.

But I hold on for

a few minutes of no dishes clattering,

no dryer bleating the call to hang up shirts

no rattle of papers to read, initial here, agree

to volunteer to.

No groan of office or grunt of chair moving unwillingly.

Just a few minutes lacking in the whomp of

10 year old feet or the siss of plastic grocery bags

still not still not put where they go.

Only a few minutes

of the rattle and clang of old songs deep in my ears

as I tap quickly to use these few minutes well

in words for my eyes or from my fingers.

A few minutes of cat crooning eyes closed,

the chirr of fading summer cicadas.

A few minutes with no task except

what Iâ€™ve given myself.

A few minutes alone before sleep.

Mine.

Fire Lanterns