Katzenjammer

Not-quite-waking from a dream you prefer
the horn section is overpowering the string
and one of the trumpets keeps out of key.
Dread as if everyone has walked on
to their own lives, and left you behind.
the way your cat, pacing at your ankles,
soothes you, suddenly makes you retch, too.
All this forward-looking, new beginnings,
punctuation of earthly orbits, too much attention
to the yawn of the fruit bowl and how to placate it,
the way your lover wants you but you
can’t find the horizon, the dizziness borne
of diving from heights has imprisoned your libido
and on a day like New Year’s, that always
surprises you.