all alone inside the big house
I woke up to what sounded like
faint laughter coming from the living room
of course I could have been dreaming
I lay in the dark fully awake and surprisingly
at ease
just waiting to hear more laughter
the blinds were drawn but I knew damn well
it was still cold and dark outside
I looked at my wrist watch and wondered
if it had snowed
and then suddenly
the laughter came again
this time livelier and from multiple sources
much louder than the laughter
that had initially stirred me
(the big house makes many sounds anymore
now that I am the only one left)
I wondered if they had found the goods
stashed inside the walls
and false ceiling
wondered if they had found the mind-altering
substances that left me paralyzed
and perfectly at peace
january two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
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