when i wake

i lie awake and stare out at the stars
hanging in bare oak bows
like a string of christmas lights
clear and twinkling and beautiful.
and i might have missed it
if i'd been asleep.
but instead i lie awake staring at stars
and wondering about sleep.
wondering where it is that we go
and how it is that we return.
and hoping,
if i drift off again,
i'll still find you next to me when i wake.