@home

Bryce Abell

isolate

problem solver

scrolling through the hours

long showers           new clothes

laundry laid out             kitchen counters 

full glass of water               starting new shows

refill rerun rewrite read reduced to four walls and a door

count popcorn ceilings cross laminate floors create patterns cordon

oneself one day someone else the next sun rise and set shadows on bedroom walls

tissues fill trash cans soup fills bowls texts fill inboxes I fill in gaps air in lungs blood in veins

virus in cells                                                   thermometer

positive test                                                   negative feed

toilet seats                                                      Uber Eats

text my ex                                                    lose sleep

gain weight                                                   Amazon cart

    five day break                                                       months apart

wifi dips downstairs temp drops windows open microwave beeps fire stick television

   bounced check boy bands Spotify wrapped waste removal moonlight alarm clocks can

        I go out again when can I go out again when can I go out again when can I go out again

       The home is a man’s castle every man is an island every man for himself please stay calm

  please stay

Bryce Abell is a twenty-two-year-old substitute teacher from Florida. He graduated from the University of North Florida in 2021 and writes poetry about the South, as well as his place in it. He’s single, enjoys long walks on the beach and candlelit dinners.

© Variant Literature Inc 2021