My weary eyes glisten in the morning’s attempt at first light
I can’t explain how I see you in the ink-blotted night that lingers beyond its welcome

Presence and absence deceive my senses

Imagined shadows
Phantom embrace
Sandpaper tongue
Muted breaths
Wilting flowers

You roll from your back to your stomach
Too full of sleep to know that your body is a mechanized roller
that cranks like a handspun printing press to steal paper
thin sheets from me throughout the night

A chilly breeze floats along my skin in the pre-dawn hours 
with you beside me is enough