Sleeping Together

Sleeping together includes a little waking,

Waking for the joy of watching over the beloved,

Listening for the deep and regular breathing

         That tells me she is sleeping.

My arm is round her naked body,

My hand is cupping her breast; her nipple

Pushes into the very centre of my palm

         Which quivers with tenderness.

My fingers move softly below, to her navel

And touch the delicate down beneath her navel,

Coming to rest on the hair between her thighs.

The miracle of sleeping together is: Confidence

Why should my hand wake her? Even in her sleep

Unconscious but aware, she knows the hand that holds her,

         Knows the fingers that caress her