I wake with the birds
and I’m happy
for the first time
in a long time.

I get up,
wander through
this well-worn house,
hear the breathing
of the people
I know best.

I try not to be
too
loud,
try to stifle
the outcry
of water
as I wash night from my skin,
but it’s no use,
it’s too loud not to
disturb this other world.

So I go back
to my spot of sunshine.

I turn off the fan,
the lights,
and open my curtains…
but that isn’t
close enough to today
to make me feel it.

So I pop out the lock,
turn the handle,
and there is daytime,
pouring over
my windowsill.

I can feel the air
passing through
my body.

Today, I feel everything.
Such a nice change.