Three Hours

by Jenea Boshart

one of those nights stop only three hours stop gotta get your ass up out
of bed by six thirty at the latest stop got to study for that midterm and
be at a meeting at work by nine fifteen stop hannah isn't finished yet
either stop shall we mention amodal leakage stop that is due on wednesday
stop we'll pretend you have some data stop


                                fall asleep man hurry and
                                fall asleep man hurry and
                                fall asleep man hurry and
                                it's only three hours and
                                fall asleep man hurry and

rrrrrrriiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
        "she's really cute, you know?  all white with pink eyes.  a really
long tail that most find pretty ugly but i don't mind it.  she's really
smart too.  see her roam, see her build, see her clean herself, see her
drink.  watching her build a nest is pretty amazing, see how she puts each
piece in so carefully?  you realize how well she's
                RIPPING UP THE BOTTOM OF HER CAGE FOR HER NEST IT'S THREE
                AM AND I HAVE THREE HOURS AND SHE'S RIPPING RIPPING AND 
                SHE'S NOCTURNAL AND I BOUGHT A NOCTURNAL PET AND SHE'S
                RIPPING AND RIPPING AND IN AN EMPTY ROOM ITS SO LOUD AND I


 "self?  we don't have much time, i really think we should fall asleep
now."  "yes we had better sleep you're right and do you remember the
midterm?  we didn't do any of the reading you know" "yes I know but sleep
but sleep" "and we didn't study very much either" "yes but sleep" "and we
skipped two lectures" "please we need sleep and we need sleep"

                roll over

                                        Hannah lies on her side
                                        in the other room and she
                                        has eyes and most of a
                                        head but the rest of her
                                        is barely even there and so
                                        she must be content to look
                                        at me accusingly for now
                                        because she has no finger
                                        to point

Conscious of consciousness.  "Self?  Did you see that?  We were dreaming. 
We were DREAMING!  Don't you get it!  We fell asleep we were sleeping!" 
*barest whimper*  "You woke me to tell me we were sleeping?"

                        roll over

"*ahem* I'm really sorry to disturb you and I know you're try-        i
ing to get to sleep, but I though I ought to--this is me,            mu
Throat--ought to tell you that there has been a virus in-           stf
vasion and it won't be more than a day before we're very           alla
sick.  I know you're trying to get to sleep and so I'll           sleep
not trouble you any more but just to make sure that you          ionlyh
got the message I'll just keep tickling myself here so if       avetwom
you had any important swallowing to do in the near future      orhourst
you might find it a bit difficult.  Nose and I both feel      osleepand
that it is important to let you know about this.  Nose       thereissom
will block herself to remind you but we figured I should    uchtogetdon
just talk to you a little bit.  Ok, I'll let you sleep."   etomorrow...

                        roll over

CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH  WHO BOUGHT ALL THOSE DAMN SEEDS FOR THAT
RODENT?  WHY CAN'T SHE JUST EAT BREAD?  NIIIICE SOFT SOUNDLESS BREAD AND
HASN'T SHE MADE HER NEST BY NOW?


                            shhh        gotta study then
                           there        go to meeting then
                           isn't        go to exam then
                            much        go to class then
                            time        grab some food then
                              to        go to work then
                           sleep        grab some food then
                            left        do some work then

                        roll over

whispered "self?  um, the alarm will go off in about an hour so we better
sleep right now 'cause we don't really have any time left 'cause we really
ought to get to sleep and" "please please please just be quiet and leave
me be .  . ."


                
NPR barks:
                " . . . clinton said yesterday in his . . ."

        it is so early and still so dark and i am awake now and 
        it is so early and still so dark that when i am done in
        the bathroom and i turn the light out i can see my 
        toothbrush glowing

        Tuesday, damn Tuesday, fat-and-ugly Tuesday belches in my face.