morning affirmations

i talk

to myself in the morning.

i have long

or brief

conversations

with parts

of my body

when i start

the day.

i rub the salt out of my

eyes then look down

at my feet.

the dogs are barking

even after

8 hours of sleep.

i give them a what for

look.

i ask

the knees that are

squeaking

to hush up.

i do some sort of windmill

action with

my arms

to loosen up

the shoulders.

listening to the sound

of crickets

as each

joint snaps.

i sit on the edge of the bed

and give

them all

a pep talk before getting

up.

okay, you guys,

let's pull ourselves

together

and go.

we've got this.