Summer Ritual
I begin my morning as I do every morning
7 am for no particular reason during midsummer.
My eyes awake to blue light
glued to images my mom wouldn’t be proud of
as much as my bodies glued to the bed.
The gym wasn’t particularly crowded
But three people is three too many.
And the workout wasn’t particularly bad
but my body was still dreaming off
last nights restless sleep.
Breakfast is a habitual frustration
beginning with wiping off yesterdays dinner from the countertops
and cleaning off the grease from the pan so I can make
6 scrambled eggs
and whatever leftovers are scavenged from the fridge
to stuff myself until I’m uncomfortable
so I don’t have to eat again until dinner
Around noon is when I tell myself today will be a good day
Before going back to sleep until three
and wake up to watch a friend of three years ago try out a new restaurant.
It’s important that I check though because my family says to socialize.
6 is when everyone gets home from work
I know it by ear.
As mom yells at the animals and complains at the state of the house
And dads footsteps can be heard in the background
pacing through the living room with his mind still at the office
After dinner
I spend the night just as tired as I wake up.
Thinking about how todays hard work
deserves some more blue light as a reward.
So I lay back in bed
pretending tomorrow will be better
counting down the days until school starts
and setting my alarm for 7.
Posted Jun 6, 2022, 4:28 PM UTC · edited