Morning
I awoke before the morning alarm, puzzled and irritated at the sound vibrating above the volume of the white noise device. What engine is that? A truck? How big? Maybe, it is that car you heard the other day. The one that ground and rattled before revving the engine before mercifully exiting the road. But it sounds different. It is not garbage day. How long has it been idling there? Just shut your eyes and focus on the white noise. It is yet early. You don’t have to respond. This neighborhood used to be so quiet. Keep your eyes shut. Relax. The sound of claws yanks the carpet beneath the bedroom door. She is signaling, like it or not, the day is upon me. I am not yet ready to begin. She will persist until I get up and open the door. She has trained me. How did I allow that to happen? I know she won’t stop now. I wipe the residue of sleep from my eyes, roll to my side, place my feet on the carpeted floor, stand and casuall...
