January’s fever settled on a Sunday morning
5am and I’m no longer in the business of sleep
For five days straight
                        High temperature, hi-score,
Hotel, high altitude, back home
With closed eyes
                        I don’t know where
I am
            And the empty side of my bed, flat
With delirium
And the chills of my life
Where my cold back bares witness
To the small steps, padding the foot of the mattress
            In subtle changes of pressure
Reverberating
To the fears of my youth