Afternoon Nap

You strumming your guitar
Gently, persistently
[I can't help but wonder
As I drift toward sleep
If your hands would be as
Gentle, persistent
On me.]

The irreverent sound of flushing toilets
The white noise of the fan
Clock ticking
Water gurgles through ancient pipes
Doors bang- a suspended silence- then do a 16th note, 8th note shut
The heat stirring in the vent behind my bed
Soft scratching of linen on linen, the rustle of bed clothes, of sleep
A microwave timer goes off
Someone beeps their car locked outside
And you, strumming you guitar
Gently, persistently

Lull me to sleep,
If not with your hands,
With the sounds they make
Lull me with the memory of your voice
Reading poetry last night
Strong, and sure, and certain
On this heavy, thick, cold,
White sky Autumn afternoon:
Lull me.