4:00am and my eyes peel open again, struggling

to process what has nudged me awake in the night.

mutinous thoughts demanding attention,

flooding through my head until I acquiesce

and move the 70-pound doorstop blocking the bedroom door,

stumbling out into the dark, quiet, sleepy house.

loud paws scramble against wood floors,

thrilled at their early release from this enclosure

and into the backyard promised land

to startle birds and god knows what else,

while I stare sleepily at the laptop

and try to appease my raging mind.