Mother’s Habits

i have all

my mother’s habits

i awake in the middle of night

to smoke a cigarette

i have a terrible fear of flying

and i don’t like being alone

in the dark

sleep is a sport we all

participate in

it’s the scourge of youth

and a necessity of old age

though it only hastens the day

when dissolution is inevitable

i grow tired

like my mother doing without

even one small word

that says i care

and like my mother i shall fade

into my dreams

no longer caring

either