wake up call

it is morning
the air conditioning
kicks in again .

I moan and cry under the sheets
reminding myself
with those sounds
that
I am an animal too .

the monkey on my back
subversive and quiet ,
responds
to the light ,
and
as I stagger from one startling thought
to another
in the showdown
of a late dawn
I am driven once again
to deny
the wounded beast
and stumble once more
into
the automaticity
of this familiar trip ..............
wondering
as always ..........
what will I settle for today ?