Beautiful Day

As published in Unseal Your Best Life Poetry Anthology by Lauren Brill (www.theunsealed.com). Can be purchased on Amazon.

Beautiful Day 

It’s 6am 
When the sun first 
Wakes me—gently, 
With caution,
As if a lover
Tiptoeing from bed
To brush his teeth 
Before work, 
A small light escaping 
From under 
The bathroom door; 
I know I have no lover, 
But I smile anyway—
I fall back asleep, 
It is not yet 
My time. 

The sunlight nudges again
At half past 9, excited 
This time—she wants 
To spend her day with me—
The birds chirp to remind me
There is no rush—
I can keep resting 
If I need to—
But I don’t, 
Not today.
I’ll grab my novel 
From my bedside, 
Make pancakes and a latte
With maple syrup,
And sit 
By the pool in the back.

Before lunch 
I run a PR at the track 
Of the high school that 
Broke me, but it won’t 
Break me today.
I’m stronger—I’ve trained—
And not 
For weight loss, just 
For me.
The clouds run with me
Around and around lane 3, 
And I’m smiling to the 
Sad songs on my playlist,
Immune—
I’m content enough 
To stay smiling for now. 

Dinner I do 
With family;
Mom makes red sauce 
From her garden tomatoes and
Dad makes salad
With oil and vinegar, and 
My sisters 
Are all home. 
Mom tells a story about 
The business she runs, 
We tease her 
Like we’re children still,
And I go quiet while 
They laugh.
Not a sad quiet—a 
Museful one. I listen, awed; 
It occurs to me I’ll miss this 
Soon. 

I’m at the climax 
Of the novel, I lounge 
By the pool while 
The sun is setting.
It becomes dark 
And dad flicks on 
The backyard lights. 
The day’s come 
Full circle.

It’s warm 
But I hear mom’s wind chimes;
There’s fireworks 
In the distance—someone’s small 
Celebration—
And I’m drinking peppermint tea 
With milk. It’s still only 
9pm—my, I have hours
To keep reading. 

At midnight I hop out 
Of the shower, I throw a towel 
Over my head.
I mark my novel finished 
On Goodreads, I rate it 
5 stars. 
I wear a vintage bathrobe;
I know no one will see it 
But it’s enough 
That I will.

I admire myself 
In the full length mirror
And for a moment
It hurts 
That I’m alone; 
It’s only for a second and
It almost feels nice—if
Only to remind me 
Of all this good.
 
This beautiful world—
I watched a beautiful sunset, 
I read a beautiful book,
I wear a beautiful bathrobe,
And I lay under my covers now 
To write a beautiful 
Poem.