The spiders in my room are growing.

They keep the mosquito population in check.

Smeared corpses speckle my walls.

My sheets are stained with red wax

from that time I fell asleep with a candle

burning. I have off-brand M&M’s in my

closet. My plants need watering but

the sink’s too far. There are dust bunnies

beneath the bed, empty shoe boxes,

someone’s foam roller. I have a shelf

full of literature, bookmarks protrude

like tongues from the first few chapters.

The chord from my charger is frayed.

My paintings are off kilter but my bed

is made and my laundry is folded.

If you stand in the doorway and squint,

I seem to be doing alright.

Ben von Jagow is a writer and poet from Ottawa, Canada who currently lives in Denmark. His work has appeared in literary journals such as The Mindful Word, Maudlin House, and The Literary Review of Canada, among others. For more of Ben’s work, visit benvj.com or follow him on Instagram: @aquacondor.