do all artists sleep in? do all artists stay awake late at night blear eyed, lucid, following paths revealed by effort and intuition? does any of it make sense in the morning?

a faint doggy smell. pickles and bread and chocolate. bitter tea. warm bodies asleep. pola's breath against my hip. the laptop warm on my lap. someone snores. a cough. and the constant hum of tires on the roads outside.

the dogs curl into themselves, maximizing contact of fur on fur. little furry heat bombs, eyes open, waiting for some human action.

the morning lies suspended, watchful. tension builds. soon it will coalesce into something kinetic. but for now, those of us that don't sleep (me and the dogs) lie in watchful repose.