The Elm 2016-2017 2017 The Elm Literary Magazine | Página 8

REFUGE
by I.C. Kleerly
A white door, stained with dirt, proof of its younger self.
A cleared spot on flat honey biscuit carpet, the mattress had just been
moved.
The whiteboard props his codes of life, and a few equations.
Pencils, baseballs, and a plastic bowl all rest on the nightstand; where
they’re wanted, but out of place.
A full sized bed, not quite rejected, though the cotton sheets hang off.
The checkered blue blinds contrast the gray walls, like a sapphire on a
concrete slab.
Jeans and button-ups stress the plastic laundry bin.
A creaking dresser caches years-old clothes, most of which still fit.
Socks are worn for days, almost never in the bin.
They’re seasoned with sweat, a musk he somehow enjoys.
The desk littered with bins, posters, and trophies, from the soccer days.
Plastic sculptures, paintings and poems too, rare creativity, on display.
A bookcase holds only fifteen books, each handpicked and loved.
He seems clever at a glance, textbooks, logic and Sherlock, too.
The rest are mostly Marvel comics, the start of the collection.
Inkheart convinced him of the power of words, each line with its purpose.
To many options to be much good, not unlike his future.
Have a Seat
Alvina Kamalova
11th Grade
Acrylic on canvas
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