Near the end, I stepped out into the yard
and recorded the birds for you. They always see
mornings before we do.
Tonight I turned on the recording
on my phone, and felt the birds’ vibrations
in my palm. I listened to the difference
they made between the starkness of the night
and the clarity of morning’s darkness.
I never sent you this or
played it back to you.
As long as I don’t fall asleep,
into that darkness,
you stay with me.