the windows yawn, entire rooms blink in a sleepless stupor. at five a.m. you wake to the cat’s milky mews clawing yr brain. the cat perched on your chest, jaw filled with cries, skull smacking yr chin. she is insistent, won’t settle till you pet, till she falls asleep & you asleep & sleep till morning browns into afternoon. the day crawls into your room, covering the walls with its furry fingers. heat. you sit on the edge of the bed, try to stand, fall back down.

three girls shoved into a backseat, thigh to thigh, elbows collide. the girl to yr left sips hot coke & whiskey, passes the bottle mouth to mouth. the girls grin. their syllables rise & smear across yr brain. you start talking too, move your mouth so fast. imagine yr words, inreccognizable now, as a pond frozen over. you skate across the syllables—boots laces tight, face flushed white. when the girl to yr left taps yr shoulder want any? it takes you five minutes to shake yr head no thanks then turn to stare out the window. the night has no moon, no light at all except the whites of their eyes.