Waking Up

I cough myself awake,
longing to rewrite my constitution,
adjust reality to fit my map,
wake from a nap.

I ease my tiredness
a little higher off the bed,
shake my head,
dispelling nothing much
I stand and blink
and think.

Auditing each ache
I stretch
and shiver shoulders
and seldom feel
awake.

- by Prajna Pranab, 1998