i hate everything today
alarm clock buzzing before the alarm
persistent mosquito
gets under my skin
threatening the day into BEGINning
cold outside and i can’t be in it
i have to leave the room i know
for a cage with wall-to-wall animals and excrement
waste everywhere--wasted waste of time
of energy, of potential, of everything worth saving or collecting or having or being

i hate the clock above my head
determining when i stay or go
even if it’s fast or slow,
the truth is there
ticking like a bomb set off by a switch that’s too easy to set off
the littlest thing
--a flea
--a tic
--a heartbeat
could do it

i hate to come home and put on “THE SMILE”
to play the part
since you’ve no desire to know the actor
just the character
you created for me
to satisfy and be left wanting

i hate everything today
especially
the hate
and especially
...tomorrow.