Night Rattle

Pop-pop—

a burst of steam splits the cold,

rattling metal pipes like old bones cracking

beneath thin walls.

The valve sighs a secret,

a wet cough in the dark,

then hisses sharp and sudden—

louder than fear or sleep.

I lie awake, counting the clinks,

the tired breath of iron waking,

the cold clawing back as heat fights free,

a night creature that never settles,

never quite rests.