sleep can wait

i manage to get

the two

pound slice of 14

layer chocolate

birthday cake all the way

home in

my suitcase.

still intact, wrapped

in foil.

it survives

a ten block walk from

the hotel,

a cab ride,

up a staircase

an elevator

and down an escalator,

where we wait

with our luggage,

me guarding the cake.

then onboard

the train

at Penn Station

for a three hour trip

to Union Station.

the uber ride

home is another hour.

but i make it.

it's dark, it's late. i'm tired.

but then there's

cake to eat and the milk is cold.

i open up

my suitcase, there it is.

sleep can wait.