mid-night soliloquy
the remorseless clock beats a tattoo
against the window-black
the cathedral bells chime four
in the semi-dark kitchen
drinking decaf tea
remembering what pilfered sleep
a restlessness crescendoed
by the headlights of the milkman’s truck
stealing through inadequate blinds
a little later
the crush of the clock’s ticking
trumps the sunrise-gloom
and the bedroom - and its torments -
becomes the lesser evil
so I rinse out my mug
wearily climb the stairs
again
Ian Gouge - Writer 