HE
woke me up

had to slap him around
until he gave up
bugging me for attention

between us
I think he liked it
and I will have a hard time
figuring out how to keep him
from doing it again

because I know he will
and I just can’t sleep
when he’s like that

tried to make him happy
with bedtime stories
and pictures and movies
but it seems

it just makes him want
to bug me
even more

damn him
and his demands

him poking his head up
at the worst moments

making himself known

as if I don’t have enough
to worry about
between work and money
and all this art begging
for release

like a relapse
to our youth
when he drove me
damn near crazy
always pointing out
what HE wanted

those days
I wanted it too
but now I’ve grown up
and I’m supposed to be
more in control

and still
HE wakes me up
in the middle of the night
first thing in the morning
add weird moments of the day to that
and it’s like he’s got
my number on speed dial
and can’t help but push it
press it
any time he sees something
he wants me to see

HE ought to know better
I don’t have time for that

or to make him feel
like I share his enthusiasm

when something catches
his single-focused
eye