The kind ones

I told you in quiet syllables
As I ran my fingers slowly through your hair
What it takes to silence
The hamster wheel ever churning
Inside my skull


I've narrowed my own options
Possibly given you more
Places to go
Ways to get there
Escape hatches from the waking cage
And the deafening bars that bind


If I've done this right
Made my places yours
Your breathing will slow with the beating of your heart
Your eyelids will be weighted
And you will hear the buffeting of imaginary wings
Beating behind your closed eyes
Rushes of air felt but not seen
You will not notice the gurgling of my stomach
Or the twitch in my thigh


I hope you slip into dreams
Consciousness resistant to release
As you question the unreality of events
And the scenes begin to play
I hope you meet the kind ones you don't yet know
But if you don't
I will still be here
When you come back