ersatz

wake up
every morning
get dressed
go to work
chip away at the day
till the clock strikes right
and homeward bound again

going through the motions
with a mannequin smile
a tilt of the head
and still all the while
autopilot engaged
in an ersatz life
in a makeshift world
insubstantial enough
to seem
like a dream
if dreams were dull

I thought
I woke
once
only to find
a dream within a dream
"too flattering sweet
to be substantial"

so slept I again
so sleep I still
awaiting a prince's kiss
or Morpheus' pill