Mulţumesc

By Kaleb M Dufel

Morning comes
Sleep finally did.
She wakes me with the
voice of the old world
the voice that carried with her a dream-
a dream i’ve woken up from.
We eat breakfast together
I can’t bear to eat with the others.
She tells me about her home
I welcome her to mine.
Later, I dance along an ivory street dotted with ebony houses
To a song of perfect refuge, of transcendent force.
I find her admiration in notes I was never meant to see.
That night after she tucks me in
She says to my parents who think I’m asleep

“I take care of him like he is my own”

Kaleb M. Dufel is an actor and writer currently based in the Iowa City metro. He has appeared on many local stages over the past ten years. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance at the University of Northern Iowa. His poetry and photography can be found in the 2025 edition of Inner Weather.