upon waking, you are not sure
in what city
you had fallen asleep

maybe in atlanta 
in which case 
you will find your mother
on her porch swing
balancing a mug of coffee
she will not finish
on her knee

when you join her
she will remind you 
to close the back door
even though
you have never forgotten

–

or maybe you are in 
portland 
on your sister’s couch
where you must have passed out
after drinking too much 
discounted wine 
she will be banging
the neighbor boy
from saudi arabia

afterwards
she will shake you awake 
to tell you about it

–

you could be
in your apartment in knoxville

in columbus
on the floor of your brother’s condo

jacksonville
lexington
seattle
anywhere

–

next to you
a man
jerks in his sleep
as if while dreaming
he has fallen from a great height 

on instinct
you grab his hand
so that upon landing awake
he will not need to wonder
where he is