After Hanif Abdurraqib
An endless room with endless windows / and the view outside is just better out of some windows than others / at first I walk the length of the corridors / for months on end /
pacing until / soundless / I find a corner / and curl into the smallest circle / under an
awning / sometimes the blinds are drawn / sometimes not / sometimes I simply take up
the hobby of being an animal / when I invite you over for a slumber party / to the endless room with endless windows / you find the jukebox right away / accumulating dust under piles of weighted blankets / look, you say / the memories play when you hit the right
buttons / do I want to dance, you ask / no, I say / I think I’ll stay right here / paying no
mind, you find a window-pane / beneath it the light is slanting through / you ask if I want
to sit there with you / okay, I say / just for a minute / there is a crack / in the garden it is winter / there are crocuses, closing / they look like teeth to me / you say they are beautiful
Sarah Roth (@saraheroth) lives and writes in Baltimore. Her work has appeared in Notre Dame Review, Denver Quarterly, Hot Metal Bridge, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from University of Notre Dame.