the escape hatch
as far as I knew
everyone was asleep
except for me
and I can tell you
I was as quiet as a mouse
full moon shining through
casement window
I worked with pencil
on charcoal paper
sketching in
a perfect escape route
as the magical hour
drew nearer & nearer
my eyelids fluttered
[as if in REM mode]
a series of tunnels & ladders
leading me all the way back
to the beginning
november two thousand twenty-three
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