Quite Early Morning

missing in me is a clock,

the only thing that ever dinged 

at dawn was grief, how grateful

I was to rise unassisted red faced

too long since the last night's weep

and ready to begin again and now

with the classic hope of all my species'

time, I cannot rise, I do not have

the energy of those teary bells

to peal and rouse me from

the gilded prison of my bed