by Chandler Metcalf

The moment the space heater
clicks on in the middle of the night,
was always a halfway point,
determining how functional you would become the next morning.

The nights would be quiet, wakeful, and lost
without time until the moment the space heater clicked on.
Soft shudders broke
small suspension of disbelief, and reminded you
the night was fleeting,
and there was a world you would have to wake up to.