What Life?

The fog of deep sleep loosens its grip on my thoughts and burns away slowly as my eyelids drunkenly lift open and my eyes struggle to focus. (What life?) I reach up and rub my eyes to assist in their fight against slumbers heavy haze and swing my legs over the side of the bed, letting them dangle lazily. (What life?) Bright beams of sun, peaking through my blinds, dance across the room and illuminate the frolicking dust in the air giving my eyes tiny targets to acquire a proper zero. (What life?) Slumping my shoulders forward, elbows resting on my thighs, I place my face in my hands in a symbolic physical act of defiance against my minds decision to spoil another nights fertile fruits of fantasy and awaken to reality. (What life?) Realizing that my battle to remain dormant is winless, I retreat my hands away from the fixture of my morning breath and lay them still in my lap. (What life?) Dawns determined dogged gaze unveils my tattooed forearms from their blankets of darkness. (What life?) On my right, carefully painted in profound permanence, is a large question mark with the word “LIFE” below it, and on the left, inked in equally irremovable importance is a sickle with the word “WHAT” below it. (What life?) Guilt, regret, and frustration all weigh down my heavy heart and strain the fragile flow of hope that keeps it from stopping to beat. “WHAT – LIFE?” The words across my forearms remind me that it is time, again, to decide, to choose! What life? Each day, at this first moment, I am desperately challenged by the question and symbols etched into my flesh… WHAT LIFE WILL I LIVE TODAY?