Work Text:
Love in the Afternoon
Waking up
resurrection
swimming out
of the deep tide
of an afternoon nap.
The bunker's cool enough
The blankets, thick
A clean warm snowbank
that shelters his boy, his heart,
from the world.
Lucid dreams are a Shakesperean stage
for stories, almost real.
Friends long dead
Smile and nod and bow
The sleeper forgets they're gone.
Mom makes pancakes.
A ghost dog plays on a lawn
A scene forgotten decades ago
Chasing lost loves in plausible plots
Then, a nonsensical twist.
He shows up, solid, not a shadow
The real deal, what his boy wakes up for.
Even in his dreams, they find each other.
When the story ends, he opens his eyes.
Pads into the kitchen for another kiss.