I wake up with a start
realize that I am, myself,
the April fool
still thinking I have control
(or hope)
of making it out alive
all these years
swimming against a tide
tilting at windmills
chasing wild geese
pushing boulders up hills
when in reality
I am just the monster
at the end of the book
silly old
silly, old me
Poem ©2026 Jen Payne. NaPoWriMo, National Poetry Writing Month. If you like this poem, you’ll love my book SLEEPING WITH GHOSTS, on sale now at my Etsy Shop.
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