Cold, empty tea kettle
resting at the edge of the stove
cat’s food dish empty from the night before
bedspread and pillows jumbled in a heap
all silently coaxing this mind-body
to stop its hovering and indecision
shift into consciousness

So I pause
notice a glint of morning sunlight
reflected in the smooth surface
of the copper kettle
uneaten morsels of tuna
where the cat’s tongue could not reach
the way cream-colored creases
of the unmade bed
resemble drifts of fallen snow

Just like that
consciousness throws back the covers
lifts itself up and over
and here I am
now
awakened
to the presence
of another day
unfolding