Unlocking Me

If I wake up early,

beneath the gridded windowpane,

before the sky turns pearly;

I wake because I’m in pain.

If I wake up before the dawn,

and the sun has not yet risen,

and no one shares a yawn;

I wake because I’m in prison.

If I wake up in the dark,

without a glimmer of light

to light the trees beyond the park;

I wake because my mind’s not right.

If I wake up to what is real,

and the day is what the day

is, regardless of how I feel;

I wake because I’m on my way.

If I wake up in awhile,

with nothing much to see,

except an image of a child who smiles;

I wake because I’m unlocking me.