Light Sleeper

The green light from the cable box, winking
like the eye of a nebula, bounces messages off the night sky.

The laptop light shines a dot of orange, like transitive Arcturus,
recharging the battery until its light, too, turns green.

From the turned-off TV, a giant red Betelgeuse shoulders
the arm that pulls Orion’s unseen bowstring taut,

mirrored by the red Antares of the phone, the heart
of the scorpion, rivaling the god of war.

The printer beams a blue Sirius, a tiny yet powerful light
erasing all remaining shadows from the room.

This constellation never fades: no darkness arrives to reveal
the abundance of invisible suns our closest sun outshines.

Come morning, the restless sleeper leaves the curtains closed
and opens large screens of light.

​Published in The Lake