Excerpt
LEVITATION
Copyright April 2009
Niama

i pass down the hall
decide, midstep, to join him
in the latest gift to me
of this retiree:
afternoon naps.

a worker bee
daylight to dawn
midnight to three my furious
feverish hours
driving further to consciousness
what used to be
necessary nighttime vigilance
that did not protect

at 47 i wake to a human
who throws back the covers
gleefully when i come to bed
during the ante meridien.

now, i stop
inhale with a smile the cacophony
of his snoring
decide to join him just like that
work, habitual, to wait for a later hour

i think to cuddle for a little
midday comfort
am soon snoring like a wombat
arm blissfully tucked
beneath his iron grip.

when i lay down
he deep asleep
makes no change in sound
nor octave
merely locks my fingers
in a ramrod grip

i descend into delighted
surprised giggles

wait, i cry, laughing
gasping for breath
wait!
for i have yet to finish
turning my hefty body
on its side, for deepest comfort

his answer
to silently deepen the grip
bring my hand down to his chest.

howling now without sound
or air
joy sucking up oxygen
in every corner of the room
i laugh
and tussle the sheets
completing the turn
accomplishing nirvana

he lets my hand go
and i twist contort
then lay down
finally in the sweet spot
sigh into the familiar vise grip
of his arm across mine.

years ago
a lost girl seeking home
in a land of strangers
sought a man behind a curtain
for magic

here
in this apartment
i watch bemused
as God’s love
and all that is divine
levitates us both.

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