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I still wake up
between 4 and 4:30
Monday thru Friday mornings.

A remnant I carry
of a life
with an inconsiderate man
Whose clock radio
came on at 4
next to the living room couch
where he slept.
Away from me.

Then light
Coffee beans grinding
Conversation with our cat
News on the TV
would all waft up the stairs.
Once, also a call
to a hard-of-hearing relative
in Sweden.

All the while,
my eyes wide open
waiting for the
grunt
as he bent over
to tie his sneakers
on the way out the door
for his daily walk at 5:15.

Only then
could I drift off again,
just an hour before
my own entrance to the day.