I awake to sounds
as I do most mornings
from something that doesn’t belong
here.
The kettle hisses
the floorboards groan
and a chair
gasps.
Sip. Smack. Sigh.
Just around sunrise
around my home
around me.
I’ve made it clear
to this
guest
that I do not want it here
by perching the kettle too high
prying nails up along its path
turning the chairs to the wall
and yet it stays.
Sometimes
when little is pending
after such little rest
I get closer
hugging the wall
and turning my head
to try to hear
its breath.
Too steady.
Tomorrow morning
when it repeats
its mistake
it will sit in
my chair
and I will knock
and it will knock
the wall it faces.
Knock.
It will rise timidly
and check around the corner
through the doorway
to see nothing.
Calling out to something
that doesn't want
to hear
it
Knock.
It’ll return to my chair
looking left
then right
then to me
and I will ask gently
from the warmth of my walls
what it is doing
in them.