Bedroom
by Ameer Malik
A white shirt covers the back of the desk chair instead of hanging
Inside the bedroom closet. The shirt was once completely clean and clear,
But now it’s blotched with small smudges and stains
Including, just below the collar, a faded speck of blood.
It’s worn and a bit torn from withstanding storm
After storm. There are others like it, but larger, elsewhere in the house.
A wooden door divides the room from the rest of the house.
The door looks strong. It seems to be hanging
Tightly to its hinges. But the door’s panels are covered by a storm
Of cracks and splinters. What was once a smooth, clear
Surface is now a rash of jagged spikes that could cause blood
To drip from one’s fingers, if one’s not careful, and smear the floor with stains.
In the corner is a packed bookshelf, protecting and preventing stains,
Markings, tears, and other kinds of damage from ruining the crisp pages that house
Pathways, escapes, and means of travel to other places. Yet, there are traces of blood
On one page here, another page there, remaining between the letters, hanging
There, refusing to be wiped away. The text is still clear,
Though, and the books would make great companions if a storm
Were raging outside. The best way to read in the bedroom during a storm,
Especially one so heavy and harsh that the moon and stars, the usual stains
On total darkness, are blocked by clouds, would be wrapped in the blanket. It’s the clear
Shield for a child seeking safety from the monsters lurking around the house
And hiding in the room. The blanket is so long, it is often hanging
Over the edge of the bed, and it is so soft and thick, it can easily warm the blood.
There are perhaps no monsters hiding in this room, though. A bottle the color of blood
Is the only thing that hides in the bottom drawer of the dresser. A storm
Of bitter, nauseating cologne is confined inside. The stinging scent would stay hanging
In the air for days if the cologne spilled out. Already, the liquid has left stains
Around the room, and the faint smell of it lingers throughout the house.
That’s why it’s stored away in the dresser, on top of which is a clear
And circular mirror. It’s best that the mirror is in a high place beyond reach, since it’s clear
That, if broken, its shards would be sharp enough to pierce skin and make blood
Rush out in streams. The mirrors are closer to the ground in other rooms in the house,
Which is dangerous. If a violent, unstoppable storm
Passed through, the mirrors could fall and break and cover the floors with spikes and dark stains
From bare feet. Hopefully, a few mirrors are attached strongly enough to stay hanging
On the walls of the house. Otherwise, if it were to happen again, another storm,
Since it’s clear that there have been many tempests inside the house in the past, the stains
And signs are everywhere, then blood would spill, and no one would be left around, hanging.
Ameer Malik is a Muslim Pakistani-American writer. He received an undergraduate degree in Literary Arts from Brown University, where he wrote short fiction and essays for Post- Magazine and opinion columns for The Brown Daily Herald. He is currently pursuing an MFA in fiction at Columbia University.
