The Shortest Night

“The Shortest Night””

Her eyes blossomed like daylilies at first light
She blinked and flipped the switch of her alarm
Her friend beside her was still sleeping light
And any noise would wake him, as per norm

She shook the covers off - 5:45 was it?
Two minutes earlier than the night before
A bird outside the window found a mate
Her arm, where she had slept on it, was sore

She took a walk to work in summer coolness
But by mid morning felt a sort of drag
Dawn seduced in a.m. sensualness
But she faced the evening sun with a sweat rag

The heat of 6 p.m. gave in to midnight
And the air conditioner won the war of wills
She gave a final shudder from all the tossing
And after an eternity lay still

The next morning the happy birds were cheeping
Their early morning song before the heat
And, miracle, her own alarm was beeping
She slept till it went off for once? How neat!

And though her friend was tired and irritable
Mumbling complaints about the noise
She felt wonderfully refreshed and stable
For surely this was reason to rejoice:

The shortest night had passed the previous night
And her circadian clock left her longer till light.