“Vertigo”

Pre-dawn 

I stir in bed, freeing legs from binding covers and sleeping dogs 

Red digits proclaim 4 AM 

I inhale frustration—wakefulness before sunrise 

Feet to floor, I sit up 

And spin 

Have I entered Dr. Seuss’s world? 

My lopsided room tips me sideways 

Askew and drunken 

I stagger a few steps trying to shake off my slumber 

Caution takes my hand, gentles me back to bed 

Mystified, I try to focus upon the closet doors 

Defiant, they refuse to hold still 

Jumping left, then right, then left again 

I close my eyes 

Willing stillness 

As if, by my determination alone, I’d control my world 

Command the spiraling   

Force it to stop 

But the twirling and swirling continue against my bidding 

Resigned, I retreat into sleep’s protective fortress 

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman