Hardly any sleep and yet I woke ahead of the alarm - an hour ahead - which gives me time to do all the things I needed to do, and more, before setting off for Newbury, to a writer's workshop, no less. I'll be exhausted by the time I return but, right now, my mind is flying.

Today's poem? Has to be this one.

On waking
I wake, but resist the temptation to open my eyes
As ever, you are tangled in the folds of my duvet
Embodied in the bulk of my second pillow
And my skin is alive to your touch
I stretch slowly and smile and reach for you
You curl around me, keeping me safe
You stroke my face, push back a hair
Plant a kiss on my nose and hug me tight

I doze and put off the day for a while
Then, when the heat of the sun warms my face
My eyes remain shut, but still I can see you
I feel you, smell your nearness, hear your breath
And as I lean against your steadying strength
Slowly, I let in the day, accepting the stillness around me
I watch as you go back to my world of dreams
And gaze at the shaft of rainbows that light my life. 

There were no rainbows on my bedroom wall this morning, most probably because it was still pitch dark outside ...

To see other poems, especially ones I wrote about how I feel 'on waking', visit my website: annerainbow.me.uk