Waking at 3 a. m
Even in the cave of the night when you
Wake and are free and lonely,
Neglected by others, discarded, loved only
By what doesn’t matter even in that
Big room no one can see,
You push with your eyes till forever
Comes in its twisted figure eight
And lies down in your head.
You think water in the river;
You think slower than the tide in
The grain of the wood; you become
A secret storehouse that saves the country,
So open and foolish and empty.
You look over all that the darkness
Ripples across. More than has ever
Been found comforts you. You open your
Eyes in a vault that unlocks as fast
And as far as your thought can run.
A great snug wall goes around everything,
Has always been there, will always
Remain. It is a good world to be
Lost in. It comforts you. It is
All right. And you sleep.





Related poetry:
- A Woman Waking She wakens early remembering Her father rising in the dark Lighting the stove with a match Scraped on the floor. […]...
- Waking In March Last night, again, I dreamed My children were back at home, Small boys huddled in their separate beds, And I […]...
- 391. A Tippling Ballad-When Princes and Prelates, etc WHEN Princes and Prelates, And hot-headed zealots, A’ Europe had set in a low, a low, The poor man lies […]...
- 16-bit Intel 8088 chip with an Apple Macintosh You can’t run Radio Shack programs In its disc drive. Nor can a Commodore 64 Drive […]...
- The Waking I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. I feel my fate in what I cannot fear. I learn […]...
- Dreams are well but Waking's better Dreams are well but Waking’s better, If One wake at morn If One wake at Midnight better Dreaming of the […]...
- Waking in the Blue The night attendant, a B. U. sophomore, Rouses from the mare’s-nest of his drowsy head Propped on The Meaning of […]...
- Half-waking I thought it was the little bed I slept in long ago; A straight white curtain at the head, And […]...
- Their Height in Heaven comforts not Their Height in Heaven comforts not Their Glory nought to me ‘Twas best imperfect as it was I’m finite I […]...
- The House Of Dust: Part 03: 13: The half-shut doors through which we heard that music The half-shut doors through which we heard that music Are softly closed. Horns mutter down to silence. The stars whirl […]...
- The End It is time for me to go, mother; I am going. When in the paling darkness of the lonely dawn […]...
- Two Rivulets TWO Rivulets side by side, Two blended, parallel, strolling tides, Companions, travelers, gossiping as they journey. For the Eternal Ocean […]...
- Baby Picture It’s in the heart of the grape Where that smile lies. It’s in the good-bye-bow in the hair Where that […]...
- Dream Song 131: Come touch me baby in his waking dream Come touch me baby in his waking dream Disordered Henry murmured. I’ll read you Hegel And that will hurt your […]...
- Dream Song 63: Bats have no bankers and they do not drink Bats have no bankers and they do not drink And cannot be arrested and pay no tax And, in general, […]...
- Hymn 5 Submission to afflictive providences. Job 1:21. Naked as from the earth we came, And crept to life at first, We […]...
- The Opal Dream Cave In an opal dream cave I found a fairy: Her wings were frailer than flower petals, Frailer far than snowflakes. […]...
- Psalm 127 The blessing of God on the business and comforts of life. If God succeed not, all the cost And pains […]...
- The End of the World Here, at the end of the world, The flowers bleed As if they were hearts, The hearts ooze a darkness […]...
- Lover's Gifts XVIII: Your Days Your days will be full of cares, if you must give me your heart. My house by the cross-roads has […]...
- The Nightjar We loved our nightjar, but she would not stay with us. We had found her lying as dead, but soft […]...
- Colors Passing Through Us Purple as tulips in May, mauve Into lush velvet, purple As the stain blackberries leave On the lips, on the […]...
- Unlyric Love Song It is time to give that-of-myself which I could not at first: To offer you now at last my least […]...
- Hesper Her eyes are like the evening air, Her voice is like a rose, Her lips are like a lovely song, […]...
- The Wicked Postman Why do you sit there on the floor so quiet and silent, tell me, Mother dear? The rain is coming […]...
- The New Convert The new-born child of gospel grace, Like some fair tree when summer’s nigh, Beneath Emmanuel’s shining face Lifts up his […]...
- Mortal Limit I saw the hawk ride updraft in the sunset over Wyoming. It rose from coniferous darkness, past gray jags Of […]...
- The Red Blaze is the Morning The Red Blaze is the Morning The Violet is Noon The Yellow Day is falling And after that is none […]...
- PUBLISHERS And then they pretend like owls With marble eyes and wizened stupidity I do not know why they cannot perceive […]...
- At leisure is the Soul At leisure is the Soul That gets a Staggering Blow The Width of Life before it spreads Without a thing […]...
- Winter Seascape The sea runs back against itself With scarcely time for breaking wave To cannonade a slatey shelf And thunder under […]...
- Anna Who Was Mad Anna who was mad, I have a knife in my armpit. When I stand on tiptoe I tap out messages. […]...
- A Curse For A Nation I heard an angel speak last night, And he said ‘Write! Write a Nation’s curse for me, And send it […]...
- The Oldest Song “These were never your true love’s eyes. Why do you feign that you love them? You that broke from their […]...
- Blue The earth again like a ship steams out of the dark sea over The edge of the blue, and the […]...
- Carbonara eyes Nicky said I couldn’t write, she’s got a charming Sense of social etiquette – given she’s a bitch (the canine […]...
- How many schemes may die How many schemes may die In one short Afternoon Entirely unknown To those they most concern The man that was […]...
- ENGLAND’S OPENERS A blackbird lands A good beer-barrel A man sits in a cave knitting A theatre in Copenhagen Abask the sea-wall […]...
- Saddest Poem I can write the saddest poem of all tonight. Write, for instance: “The night is full of stars, And the […]...
- Jinzhu Ridge Wingceltis goldenrain shine empty bend Fresh and green ripple ripples ripples Secret enter Shang hill road Woodcutter not able know […]...