before :: after

when i'm asleep, when i'm dreaming in a late-afternoon nap, all the

parts of my body start to blend together as i become mass, softly inhaling and exhaling, a sprawling hill--

my top eyelid melts into the bottom one, my arm and hand supporting my chest and underbelly are engulfed by my face-down person, and

the back of the right palm pressed down upon by the cold side of the pillow ceases to stand by its lonesome.

and all of me keeps a steady, breathing pace. one piece of living matter; connected, traveling, dreaming.