Thoughts of a Brain Not Ready to Sleep

I never thought the tide would turn,
and it didn’t, so except for the girl
in the auburn sweater and eager smile,
I have nothing to show for the last few years.
How do you reconcile that? How do you look
for the good things, stay aware of the bad things,
and learn to choose between the two? The echo
of a piano in a barn calls to me, but I think that’s
just my mind playing a trick. I’m not as agile as
a cat, never have been, especially in the bedroom.
Are you ready now? Can you catch my drift?
The spelling bee went into overtime, but I had
to watch the damn thing from dim theater with
my mother. Can your friend the astronomer find
the coordinates and quadrants of my heart?
I certainly can’t, and I’m sorry about that. Sorrier
than you can possible imagine. I can imagine quite
a lot, you tell me, Han Solo-esque. From the border
of the grassland and tundra, I show you a card.
Keep your card to yourself, I instruct, slight-of-handing.
And just so you know, I’ll never finish the trick.