The Cough of Cold Mornings

The radiator grumbles awake,

a rusted beast sputtering heat,

clattering cold into the cracked room.

Steam hisses sharp and urgent,

breaking silence like a cough,

mixing with the ache of early light

seeping through chipped paint.

I pull blankets tighter,

feel the pulse of metal under skin,

a slow heat climbing brittle bones,

uncertain, loud, and alive.