Outside the window darkness
resides, looking both normal
and deep, waiting for me to fall asleep.

Yet just beyond, a bird does
chirp, awakening nature speak.

What’s peaceful too, are my two cats
who sleep and do not wake despite
me being awake in front of them.

“We’ve done it,” they all cry out,
or seem to. “We kept her up through the night,
to finish the marathon as planned.”

I barely hear them as I start snoring, my clock is up,
and I must rest, the sun peeks over the horizon.