Morning

The queen-sized bed holds a warm heavy body twisted around black sheets, blankets, and pillows. A brain contemplates, “Do I wake? Do I rouse myself from my slumber?” The tight curls of hair are piled atop a head. Each spring tousled in it’s own direction. Eyes water from the bright light burning above the bed. The faint garbled words of a woman on the television recount the previous day’s events. A dog curls himself in a tiny black ball on a red satin bedspread. The repetitive hum of the ceiling fan blocks out sounds on the other side of the window. The long polished blade of a sword affixed to the wall flashes brightly reflecting the day’s light interrupted by the rotating blades of a fan.

Rise! The choice has been made to rise and face the new day. Feet shuffle across old matted brown carpet of the floor and cross the threshold of a bathroom door. The cool linoleum sends shivers up a twisted spine. A black fuzzy bathmat hangs on an aluminum shower rod. The soft mat is quickly grabbed and carelessly spread out on the floor. The knobs of the shower are turned to the left, first hot, then overhead, and finally cold. The clear and black curtains are yanked back from the wall.

A body clambers into the cool air behind the curtain and moves into the warm mist of water. The water spills down bare skin. A head is thrown back, and water is allowed to drench tight curls. The weight of the water pulls at each tendril until they all lie perfectly straight below the nape of a neck. A hand is filled with opalescent shampoo. As hands work the substance through a thick mane to scrub a scalp, the suds build upon the now black locks.

The pink plastic poof is lathered with sweet smelling soap. From top to bottom, hands scrub the previous night away. The soft white foam hides the pink skin beneath. Legs back the scrubbed body under the warm spray. Water chases the suds downward. They slide down a back, a round rear, and down the backs of bare thighs, knees, calves, ankles, and heals. The body slowly spins around and allows the clear liquid to rinse the sleep from eyes and chase the remaining lather toward the tub. The suds pause at the up curves of breasts, and slide beneath the ample mounds. Water pools in a navel as a torso is tilted back, and fingers turn the colorful Nubian ring around drawing clean water through the pierced skin. The suds glide further down, down the fronts of thighs, knees, calves, feet, and toes.

The knobs twist back to the right, and the water ceases. The drain gurgles as it siphons the water to its new home. The milky white water swirls and spins until it is no longer seen. A soft pink striped bath towel brushes lightly across a face absorbing the traces of water left behind. A body bends forward tossing the tresses before it, and the locks dangle above the floor. Dripping hair is covered with the pink towel, twisted tightly within, and piled upon a head. A faded terrycloth robe is removed from the hook on the door, and sleeves are pulled over goose pimpled arms. The dry robe sucks the remaining water from drenched skin. Today is going to be a good day.