The Empty Side Of The Bed

You can learn a great deal 
about a person by what they keep 

on the empty side of the bed

You can gain insight from the night stand

with its reading lamp, water glass (coaster?)

and collection of medicines easily swept 

into the drawer should a guest arrive

but the empty side of the bed 
will show you what a person wants near 

when they reach for comfort 

with the bleary eyes of day break 

and the lonely heart of night

and if the empty side of the bed has become 

a library of unfinished books and magazines

a graveyard of lost reading glasses

and an orphanage for pillows

you can bet it's been a long while 

since they have entertained the thought

of finding someone to share the blankets

on the empty side of the bed.

Ken Owen   Van Niddy Press   November 2014