I've Been Under Many Ceilings

i’ve been under many ceilings
seen, stared, glimpsed

the first
a new womb hospital room ceiling
sleeping somewhere in my memory
of bright lights
infused with life and new smells

the one above my first bed
tall strong
aged with scuffs, scrapes
and ant-size holes
remnants of pencil throwing
ice-cream fights
and tacks

my first dorm room
off-white peeling paint
possibly pregnant with asbestos

my first apartment
that mayonnaise, goose-bumply
mother to a rattling ceiling fan

cold unfamiliar ceilings
of hotel rooms
in just-here-for-the-weekend cities

ceilings of houses
not quite home

random ceilings
above random houses
of random people

dentist’s office and
one night stands
with floral prints that don’t
ease the uneasiness

but tonight
i slip off my socks
lay in bed
and remember

wood, tile, paint
vents, bugs, webs

and think
i have seen and slept under many ceilings

today i have decided
i want to see the rest
with you at my side