By: Rochelle Rosales
1
i am
monday-morning-awake
brimming with that heavy fog
that sits on the mind.
2
the top drawer on the frame below my mattress
is missing its handle
i backed my chair into it as i got up from my desk
for the first time in five hours. the metal tore off
two empty holes stare where
the bolts used to sit.
3
on tuesday i find a
lacing of cobweb strung
above the bookshelf
i reach the vacuum hose up to
suck the wall crevice clean
my mother saw a spider
behind the shelf where the printer sits
a tiny visitor who won’t pay rent.
4
my father sleeps with the wake of the sun
drives to work after dinner. comes home to
the sun again
my mother says i walk down the staircase with heavy feet
admittedly, i often
forget how to be gentle.
5
i open the curtains after i turn off my alarm
wrap myself in my blankets
again
it was not supposed to be this way
but i am too cold to remember
the list i wrote on paper the night before
lies on my desk
full but untouched.
About “(comfortindiscomfort)”
This written piece was a winning submission (second place) for the 2021 Academic Skills Writing Contest. The 2021 theme was “comfort.”
Author Rochelle Rosales is a second-year Science (Human Behaviour) student.
About the Academic Skills Writing Contest
The Academic Skills Writing Contest takes place in the winter term, usually in January and February.