It is still dark

It is still dark

and the car creeps

down the road

before the light sweeps its hem 

through the streets

the motion is uncertain

it is too early for us

to be up

and yet we are up.

I remember 

long ago mornings 

lying in bed trying to stay

in the place I was supposed to be

so many lost opportunities

for fear of waking others

they should have let me

read

run wild 

swim 

the danger wasn’t that something 

would happen

the danger was that 

nothing would happen.

It is still dark

but the world 

is waiting for us to 

come into its arms

to walk through the 

morning rituals with joy

to break night’s grip with laughter

going into the day now

is like stepping off the precipice

my heart is ready to fall

forward.