i am haunted in sleep
my subconscious stolen by bright lights
a coughing neighbor
words on the street sounding so familiar
i feel my language has followed me here

night hovers each time i look at the clock
even when dawn should be ringing my alarm
I have another hour of darkness to endure

the waning moon
two days past full
lights my ride across town

last night another moment of panic
isolation and cultural constraints
keeping me, once again, from what i need

a short call, a simple email
his words come across both lines
i have it for you, come home, it is better
it is a simple grammatical error
I feel the correction at the tip of my tongue
(come to your house, you mean?)
but as i wait for fingertips of sun
and gather my ticket of isolation,
i allow his words to rest,
to make a home in my heart