The Ceiling is Painted Vivid White
Many things crave our attention: the plates maturing in the sink after last night’s spag bol; the poinsettia dying on the windowsill; the news constantly playing on phone screens or the TV; that photo that needs editing so your dress is a more vibrant emerald green; the furniture in the bedroom that needs to be rearranged; the person in the mirror that needs to be fed and bathed and played; the clothes you choose to wear and the way you choose to think; the dust gathering on your guitar strings, your vinyl records and CDs; the silence in the house after you turn off the TV; the sound of the rain falling heavily outside; the same ceiling cracks you lay awake watching in the night; the dream of the aurora borealis unfolding across the peeled paint; the fear that a new shade of white will never look the same.
Ellie Jenkins is a second-year BA (Hons) Creative Writing student at Bath Spa University, with a particular interest in grief poetry. Her current project explores grief through lepidopterology. You can follow her progress on Instagram: @thepoetryhag.