my long-awaited memoir

The alarm jarred me
awake at dawn. And in my first
moments of consciousness, I was
a staggering angry fool.

But this phase was short-lived.
By mid-morning, I'd grown
into a relaxed fellow, eager to work,
cracking jokes even.

Around noon though I hit a rough patch.
I’d become self-focused, a single-minded bear.
I ate an entire pizza at my desk.
This was a shameful period for me
when I was all about satisfying base desires.

In the middle of the day, I wrote a wild
sexy headline for a utility company brochure.
This represented a time in my life
when I clung stubbornly to my dreams.

By early evening though, I was ready to let go,
to stop yearning. I’d turned into a solitary man
resigned to driving the same stretch of state highway,
listening to the same songs on the radio.

After a late dinner, I caught myself sighing.
I grew nostalgic for 8 AM when the day
was full of promise. I stared down the table, wondering
what had become of my fellow morning commuters.

Then I retired upstairs, washed, brushed my teeth.
I lay in bed and took stock –
my past immaturities, the anger,
the sadness, the joys.

I thought about how far I’d come
in such a short time. I shook my head
at who I used to be, switched off the light,
and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.