286 - Morning Prayer

Morning Prayer
By Tom Disch

Gods of the pre-dawn         let me wake
at the first ache of awareness         unassisted
by alarm clock         undeceived by douceurs
of pillows and sheets         Make me a member
of the secret society of early risers         the wielders
of 5 a.m. razors         the parking lot joggers
the men who wait         coddling thermal cups
for the buck and a quarter breakfast         two eggs
easy over         hash browns and toast
Fit me out in the livery of blue collar
submission         self-enslaved and proud
to bear the weight of the paycheck's yoke

Homely divinities         whose votive lamps
burn bright on coffee urns         show me
in the face of the attentive deer         startled
by the creak of the kitchen door         the sign
of your approbation         fear understood
as sheer wonder        
        And then a flick of white tail
and the long drive to work on a misty highway
and the second waking         to 50s hits
and ads for the very life you are leading
and a report on this morning's weather and traffic
from someone who seems unaccountably happy
You're looking after me         I'll be all right