Arousal Rule
Daniel Edward Moore
Ten seconds of sleep
precedes each violation,
the keys on your spine’s piano
playing wake to grief.
Drool on your pillow
is nectar from your mother,
honey wept from a buzzing womb
down the trees of her thighs.
Your choice to sleep naked
is why ghosts sharpen pencils,
a still life for the dead
in honor of the dreaming.
Memories of wake
are violently deported.
Nightmares empty pockets
to lighten the soul of joy.
Daniel Edward Moore’s poems have been published in journals such as The Spoon River Poetry Review, Rattle, Assaracus Review, Columbia Journal, American Literary Review, Western Humanities Review, Mid-American Review and others. He has poems forthcoming in Broad Street Magazine, Tule Review, Weber Review, Natural Bridge, 2 Bridges Review, and Hawai’i Review. His work has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He lives in Washington on Whidbey Island. His recent book, Confessions Of A Pentecostal Buddhist, can be found on Amazon. Visit Daniel at danieledwardmoore.com.