The Room

      I shiver as my eyes flutter open,
the illumination of  the nearby streetlamp
that pools upon the floor providing no sense
of warmth, no matter how imagined it might
be. It has been a long time since I have been
woken up by the cold. Not since years before,
when I was young and those cold winter nights
tugged at those light blankets they gave us
in the home.
My breath comes out in long wisps of smoke, as
I try in vain to stifle the chattering of my
teeth. I readjust the comforter, trying to wrap
myself in a cocoon. The chill lingers, and
after a few minutes I finally rise with the
blanket draped around my form as I scuttle my
feet along the ground, trying hard not to stub
my toe on the rug I cannot see in the darkness.
Feeling my way along the wall, I shrink back as
the wall pulls at my skin. Its not cold. It's
freezing.
     Finally I make it to my door, drawing
it open carefully, trying for no reason to stay
quite. The moment I step outside the room I feel
the temperature rise dramatically. It is only
then that I realize it is late July, and the air
conditioning cut out yesterday.