Bed: sheets (disarray), cover like an empty shell (two blankets from the closet layered within), pillow (hair-stained), nightstand.
Nightstand: alarm clock (off), tissue box (empty), cup (empty, dried residue), thermometer, trashcan (filled: wadded tissue (mucus-encrusted)). Trashcan original location: bathroom.
Bathroom: toothbrush (dry from lack of use), shower (dry from lack of use), toilet (flecked with bile), pill bottle (empty). Similar bottle stored: kitchen.
Kitchen: sink (empty – except for a few dishes (days old)), fridge (full – except for an orange juice gallon (swallows left)), window (closed, shuttered), door (unlocked).
Back Porch: wooden boards (paint peeling), trees (leafless), grass (dead), sky (cloudless), sun (bright), weather (warm), steps (upon which is a man).
Man: scruff (three days), pajamas (unwashed), glasses (contacts in bathroom), blanket (enshrouding form) — the blanket is removed.
Words: “Huh. This is what living feels like.”
Originally published at 4CountyMall.com on March 6, 2017.