376 - A.M.

A.M.
By Kevin Hadduck

In that long hour,
from rubbing my eyes
at light pushing through curtains
to stretching on the first sock-
In that long hour
before the mundane day
takes me to task-
In that long hour
passing quickly as it does,
as the egg sizzles
and the times lies waiting-
In that long hour
of slow rising,
the mind asks,
bold in its cover of fog,

Has all been done well?
Have my years made a story?
Do my days scan
and hours parse
and minutes connote
like fine diction?

Outside, a dog's bark
mixes with traffic,
a door slams,
a small plane crosses
the forgetful sky.

Kevin Hadduck's poetry has appeared in THEOLOGY TODAY, The Christian Century, The Other Side, and other journals. After teaching college English for several years, he now owns his own drywall business in central Kansas.