THE PERFECT SQUARE

“The Perfect Square”

The picture stared out from the white,

Held stiffly in its smooth, chrome frame,

The painted people offered no light,

Sealed tight behind the polished pane.

Each solid edge was measured by rule,

Only one flat, strange color I saw,

The space would not give way to the pool,

A story frozen by its own law.

My shadow fell across the glossy front,

I felt a quiet, sudden fear,

A chill that settled where the heart is wont,

The silence seemed to hold me here.

No breeze was left to move or stir,

The air around me felt so small,

The pressure made me less than I was her,

Bound by the square upon the wall.

Written on 11/1/2025