"Early" by Derek Godin

I always beat the sun to the punch.

What greets me outside are the corncob

spires of a sleeping city, kernels of

activity popping alight one by one.

See assorted nighthawks, the skeleton crew of

industry in the dark, the ghouls with whom

I share weary knowing nods. Ours are jobs

that require a special kind of specialist.

A sleek anonymous navy sedan awaits.

The chariot driver is, after all, a gladiator

in their own right, taking on the witching

hour with short sword and shorter sleep.

“So what do you do, son?” pick my teeth

hoping in vain to find an answer between

the fresh-chewed chocolatine in my molars

but can only conclude aloud, “I toil.”

Derek Godin is a closed captioner by day, a writer by night, and a recovering film critic 24/7. His debut chapbook My House but Not My House was published in 2021 by Cactus Press. He lives in Montreal, Quebec.