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Bruce thought he heard it, he was fairly certain, but not sure
of the chirping of small yellow birds at his window screen.
And though it would be a while before his alarm clock would lure,
the birds did the trick, he leaped from bed like he did as a teen.

Bruce hadn’t felt so good in so many countless years,
and his wife already had put breakfast on the table.
The birds had awakened her also, or so it appears,
and for a moment he felt surely he was living a fable.

The omelet was the best he could ever remember,
and he wondered if coffee had ever tasted this great,
if it did any spark of it’s memory was a long dead ember.
Bruce ate eagerly, then fought temptation to lick his plate.

He hopped in the shower to get ready for work,
wanting to surprise the boss with his earliest arrival yet.
He turned on the water with his customary jerk,
and the spray was immediately perfect, as if preset.

His shave was ultra comfortable, smooth as a baby’s behind,
and his teeth brushed up as if professionally made white,
every hair on his head combed perfectly entwined,
and his satisfied grin seemed as bright as a light.

For only a moment, Bruce felt a slight tinge of dismay,
as he was planning to wear his favorite suit and loud tie.
But the last time he was lazy, over a chair they lay in disarray,
but picking them up, the wrinkles fell out with instant goodbye.

When ready to leave, his wife walked him to the front door,
and when Bruce leaned over to give her cheek a little peck,
she laid a big wet one on him, like nearly forgotten days of yore.
He climbed in the car, adjusted the mirror for a lipstick check.

Out on the usually jammed freeway, Bruce zipped right along,
passing the very few cars, a couple of trucks and a bus.
Rather than cussing, the freeway had him singing a song,
not to mention the gas gauge moving up, from minus to plus.

As he neared the office, Bruce pulled in at a bank close by
to withdraw $20.00 from an ATM, for lunch and whatever.
He entered the correct figure and pin with a careful eye,
and out spit $200.00, his stop quite a worthwhile endeavour.

At the office 35 minutes early, Bruce was sure to shock his boss,
but entering, his leader was at the door, eager to pump his hand,
the smile on his glowing face stretched from ear to ear across.
Bruce could guess what he had to say would be something grand.

“Bruce”, said the boss, “that promotion you’ve sought for 5 years
has come through. It means a 30% raise, and it’s effective today”.
Bruce beamed as he heard a chorus of “Congrats!” from his peers,
and made a mental note to bring home to his wife a large bouquet.

At this point Bruce’s alarm clock shook him out of deep slumber,
followed within minutes by a shout of “Bruce! Bruce! Out of bed!
Get moving, you can’t let laziness your job and raise encumber”.
Bruce stared groggily at his wife, noting huge rollers on her head.

He felt terrible, but forced himself to roll unsteadily to the floor,
after all, he had a job to go to, that’s better than some can say.
He dragged his body to the cold shower he’d come to abhor,
swearing to fix that water heater if a raise ever comes his way.

Bruce had a weird feeling he’d been immersed in a dream,
but try and try as he might, he couldn’t recall any detail,
although he sensed the dream had been pleasant to extreme.
Out of the shower, he pulled on a wrinkled suit as slow as a snail.

“I’ll make it a goal” he said to his mirror with determination,
“I’ll work hard and secure at least some part of that dream”,
recalling only that a happy life seemed the dream’s compensation.
He vowed to work harder than ever, with extra energy and steam.

Ready to go, his wife walked him to the door, with a sweet roll,
and Bruce leaned over to give her left cheek a goodbye peck.
She responded with a long wet kiss that rocked his soul,
and he left for work happy, any restrictive thoughts firmly in check.

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