You close your eyes,
you can sleep on the couch,
no problem
My eyelashes intermingle
until lights flash through the window,
some stranger homeward bound
Light is not conducive to sleep,
it sticks in my head like velcro
to any fuzzy surface
My head is fuzzy and anxiety
lurches in my stomach,
quickens my breath
You whisper to me
and I can’t hear you because
I was listening to the shadows
You repeat yourself
and I settle again into the couch
to watch your back while you sleep