Nervous

How long is a long time? Or: How long is a life? If one second passes between the end of two lives, Enough time to see a shooting star Enough time to feel the change to winter or spring Enough time to breathe fresh air... Was not a lifetime lived in that second? ; A hand shake, Shaking and straining to squeeze That last bit of toothpaste out For the little brother of a son Waiting to clean his teeth. Nervous, Nerve-racking anticipation but soon Off to a bedroom one-fourth the volume And three times as occupied as a sitcom, No story tonight, sleepy thoughts by streetlight Bleeding through the blinds, From a kitchen halved by a fridge Four times its used size, And a goodnight, All fe no male, a hopeful prayer unanswered, An uncertain tomorrow in a certain tomorrow.