WHY I GET UP EARLY

Sometime before dawn,
ask me where we are. It’s dark out
and there is nothing to see
out the windows, but we still
pull the white curtain open.

We could be in a cabin
up in the mountains or out in the meadows
if all we hear, in between our prayers, is the
waiting quietude, and the birds—
some flapping their wings
as they fly overhead, some chirping while they sit
on tree branches.

Soon, though, there will be more
cars and trucks going down
the old narrow road, more toilets flushing and
phones ringing in neighboring buildings,
and more dogs barking in the distance.
The birds will continue chirping and flying.

And when we’re done
with our prayers and the sun
rises, we ready ourselves
for the next encounter.

(8 June 2006)