The Day Before I Died

by Bob King

I took a nap. It seemed almost wasteful,
given the magnitude of the next day,
but tired wrapped around me like smoke,
pulling me toward the sofa that already
had the perfect imprint of my body;
the afghan I love folded & as ready
as the throw pillows to receive me,
& in just ten minutes, I’d be so much
more clearheaded, back to my charming—
if sometimes impractically naïve—ways.

::

Bob King is a Professor at Kent State University. His poetry collection And & And came out in August 2024. And/Or is forthcoming in September 2025. New work appears in Stanchion, CrayfishMag, Ink in Thirds, Anti-Heroin Chic, & Ink Sweat & Tears. He lives in Fairview Park, Ohio.

Image: Susan Wilkinson

ID: blue and white knitted blanket.