Matins

by Otto Selles

Before the alarm,
before the reminders
about lunches,
band, the dentist, and soccer,
I slip out of bed
and watch the kettle
boil to life. I greet
the toast tenderly,
and the jam, once again,
surprises, so sweet, so
sticky. Through the kitchen
window I sense
the sullen pine tree
fenced between the garage
and the power
lines. I sip, chew, and cast
a thought into the dark,
or rather a question
about the day,
about what might
or might not
happen.

Otto Selles lives with his wife and three children in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he teaches French at Calvin College.