Four o'clock in the Morning

by Drora Matlofsky

When you awake
At three in the morning
Or four,
Or five,
Do not go back to sleep,
A well-meaning soul advised me,
For that is when inspiration comes.

Thirsting for inspiration
At four in the morning,
I lay awake,
Staring at the shadows.

I stared and stared.
A car drove by,
Somewhere a dog barked.
Is this inspiration?
Rapid footsteps.
Is she coming?

But alas, nothing more.
The birds were still asleep.
The old alarm clock ticked on dutifully:
Not-yet-time not-yet-time not-yet-time

My souls yearns for God more than watchmen for dawn.




ABOUT THE POET ~
Drora Matlofsky has been living in Jerusalem since 1984. Her poetry in English has appeared in various poetry and Jewish magazines and her poetry in French can be found on the Poésie Française site.


Last updated July 26, 2015