Creature Comforts

Comfort is many things in many stages

The indolent warmth of hot cocoa

Buried deep in stacks of fictional pages

Warm fur and a lick at your face

Smiles and hugs and respectful shrugs

These are the comforts in all ages

Comfort is many things as a kid

Finding where lost things are hid

A pirate's treasure in the laundry bin

A detective's find on the TV screen

These are the comforts of childhood

Comfort is many things as a teen

Navigating gangly limbs and anxiety

First kisses, both chaste and obscene

An A on a test and a good college next

A pat on the back and no words to lack

The magical moment of catching social subtext

Pouring into lines of paper, angst and nonsense

These are the comforts of adolescence

Comfort is safety in the absence of feeling safe

God's and mother's promised warm embrace

Food in the fridge and bills all paid

Knowing there will be another day

With windows tightly shut and pills all flushed

These are the comforts of the shadows of adulthood

Comfort is many things when you're older

A morning without backaches and waking before alarms ring

Finding joy in simple things

Walking outside on a sunny morning

Letting True Crime podcasts blare all night

Eschewing sleep for a show that hits just right

Learning to laugh at the mirror once or twice

Realizing life isn't lived on thin ice

Quiet moments when the world doesn't spin quite so quick

Learning lessons that for years never seemed to stick

The way loved ones manage to just click

(Perhaps not quite right, values and ideas a bit to the side

But a click all the same, with little to hide)

Sinking into a full bath topped with white bubbles

Unlearning toxic ways to cope with your troubles

Leaving the comfort zone you thought kept fears at bay

These are the comforts in knowing one day you'll be okay