Still Here

I rise
to meet the day
not quite ready

morning slides under my door
like a cat come to claim
what's left of night's kill

sunlight steels itself against the pane
resolute
uninvited

I don't ask it to explain itself
I stopped doing that

my shadow stretches into corners
still sleep-creased
still blurred at the edges

the way I am most mornings
the way I have been
for longer than I want to count

I drink deep
the small mercy of coffee's bitter comfort

another day has found me
willing to be found

that's not nothing
I keep telling myself that's not nothing

--Vera