Reflections on Progress in a Detroit Hotel Room

by Amarys Dejai

Image credit: aiden patrissi on Unsplash

Thinking visually is indicative of progression; thinking numerically is indicative of regression / from the airplane window, I began to understand the appeal of the trees stripped bare beneath the weight of the snow; three hours prior I held onto the sound of your voice like a life raft amidst the too much of the airport terminal / the room is large enough for me to exist without remorse; the bed is large enough to hold at least one more body / I run my fingers over what has faded; I think in the past tense and count on my fingers / I was among the sea of witnesses singing the Gospel; this was to be both the first and last time for many of us / there is room enough here for me to exist; I make equations out of the room number to keep myself from apologizing.

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Amarys Dejai

Amarys Dejai is a writer from Austin, Texas. Her poetry and prose have been published with Local Wolves, Foglifter, and others. She is the Director of Writing for the Austin-based art and creative magazine, Glaze, a music journalist for the music press outlet Punkaganda, a Staff Interviewer for Sontag Mag, among many other roles. Alongside being a writer, she is a photographer, artist, and educator.