those moments i awake

you lie next to me deep in slumber

are minutes i have you all to myself

you are the sole of existence

i breathe you in

the warmth of your body

the rhythm of every breath

the little simper you sleep in

as shadows and softened light caress the face

i so love

never struggling to recover sleep

i bathe in the minutes i have you

all to myself, the raison d'etre

these are stolen moments

that i list among my deepest held treasures

in your heartbeats, i hear the piano keys

of Beethoven's Silence

sleep reclaims me from heaven's grasp

Abilene  3/4/18