Selfish Hours

seeking quiet, 

time alone, 

pursuing nothing in particular

a thought amounts to nothing unspoken

unheard

these selfish hours took half my life

and I, the vampire 

fed on time,

cannibalizing the strength and awareness of 

my own youth

to what end

same as all 

the rest

sacrificial solutions 

unknown thankless jostling 

to set the future

the comfort of loved ones

protecting the right of others 

to spend selfish hours

in quiet enjoyment

dawdling over coffee

a video on a phone

lost in book

is any time wasted time

when no time 

is owned

in those final hours

before sleep

that no one else can claim,

what solace shelters us

as we step alone

into the night none can share,

but the last warm hand

covering

our hand