woke this way

1. 

masked shaman in the doorway

checks her watch,

solo, satisfied,

and i followed her, 

paused on my way.

i woke up like this.

Had a shot and a shock and a line,

grunted, scratched.

Hold still--

she's gone.

2.

Think hard, keep that

thought aloft.

Are we done yet?

Got what you want?

i breathed light briefly--

watched it blow out my mouth

to you

from the rim of your ring.

But your eyes shut, averted.

You know it.

And the other one?

He's gone ahead  

east already

and not alone.

***

Joined a writer's group yesterday.  This poem is the product of one of the exercises we played.  Try.  Choose the first and final lines of 10 songs.  

Arrange them in a single, twenty-line poem. 

Or

Using the lines in the order they're written (however you write them), make a two-part poem.  The first part uses all of the first lines, but rephrased in your words, preserving whatever your impression was of the songwriter's sentiment.  The second part does the same with the last lines.