no fresh air

could you put away the window?
the light is arrogant & i’m too
obedient to hear orders & not

follow, i’d stare straight into the sun
if i thought the light beckoned me to,
burn black spots into my corneas
to obscure anything i ever try to focus

on again. can we take the window down?
put it in a closet, or the junk drawer,
there are people walking by
i can’t imagine what for.

there is a background noise outside
like the humming of breath & blood,
can we keep the warmth but lose the sun?

Header photograph © Jason D. Ramsey.