The alarm cracks my sleep
like an egg. Downstairs, the dog
stretches and takes the leash
in her mouth. The sun is a remote
memory. I plant my feet
on the floor. The shower drains
into a bowl of cereal, and spring
winds blow my car down the street.
By the time I arrive at work, the sun
glares through my windshield.
I cannot remember the sky
becoming light.
Tracy Mishkin is a call center veteran with a PhD and an MFA student in Creative Writing at Butler University. Her chapbook, I Almost Didn’t Make it to McDonald’s, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2014. Her work has appeared in Rat’s Ass Review, Little Patuxent Review, and Postcard Poems and Prose.
A Quiet Courage 