It’s males who keep me up at night

this was once an exciting thought -

when a man would wake me in the middle of a deep sleep

for a hard ‘conversation’

Later, though, I was kept up by

Anger at the man who made more work for me

rather than being the betrothed helpmate

A son who would not sleep through the night

Until he was well into being five years old

I thought I would never sleep through the night

myself

A cat who insists on going outside at 2:30 am

and returns with the spoils of his hunt

yowling to be let in just as

I was finally falling back asleep.

Now here I am again, being kept awake by thoughts

of you in the middle of the night. 

Nobody told me I would

come full circle.