Originally posted 2/27/2014. 

Caught napping, nebulous, infirm,
soft edged, cloud-conscious.
You snap back to semi-solid — 
did someone knock?  

Jump to that door and pull it wide open. 
No one’s there but a wisp, bowing near invisibly.
You can see it only because you’re still
waking up, mostly wisp yourself right now,
so it’s kin.

It straightens up, slides
past you to the couch, and takes
your spot.  

You step out into the hall.
The door locks behind you —
what now?

Everyone for miles is sleeping.  

Start knocking on doors and bow
when one opens for you,
even if the occupant can’t see you;
slip by, take their place on the couch,
and begin again.

You are learning to be comfortable
as one of the cloud-caught,
as more thought than flesh.

When you jump from that couch
and are in the cold again,
you go out to the street and recognize
that the spirits out there with you
have the same indistinct and tender face
you now wear and you lose any desire
to ever knock on a door and change places
with the sad life of flesh ever again.