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Two a.m. and two degrees
The alarm that awakened me
Doesn’t seem to mean anything is on fire
I check anyway
My neighbors have flung their windows open
And I stand out on the pavement
Like a voyeur in the dark
In my boots and pajama pants
Until I know it’s not an emergency
And go back inside
Too keyed up to sleep
(the hallway alarm like a fire engine in your ear
Though it alerts no one but me
And I know the code to make it stop)
I’m up until 3, until my neighbors turn off the lights
And I know everything is alright
Thank god for Sunday mornings
Where I’ve set no alarm of my own

With Love,

Natalie