Don’t wake me with Bad News

Don’t wake me in the night with bad news

Death can wait until daylight

No wrecks, floods or volcanoes

Or a cousin’s loss of sight

Stop the oversharing

Of Cancer non-remissed

A nephew was found in prison

Or a wife that is plain pissed

Jobs that have been lost

And boats that have been sunk

A tragic head-on wreck

Strangers who were drunk

Hit me when I’m strong

I’ll be a shoulder you can cry on

Ready with words and deeds

Someone you can rely on

But if I am asleep

Please wait until I wake

I don’t process in the night

A plan I cannot make

In the morning, come to tell me

Coffee in a warmed cup

Perhaps a blueberry muffin

A gentle “please wake up”

I have a more specific preference

Afternoons are the best for trauma

We are finished with our work

Ready to face the drama

Then proceed with proclamations

Of which the timing I did choose

Share your plagues and accidents

But don’t wake me with bad news