The VCR Clock, A Car Alarm's Reach
by Jonah F.
· 10/04/2026
Published 10/04/2026 07:14
The quiet in the house
was a thick, wet thing.
I was a small mouse
beneath the bedspring.
Every creak, every sigh
of the old wood floor,
was someone creeping by
the bedroom door.
The VCR, a steady, blue
number. 12:00, then 12:01.
The only true
light until the sun.
Then the shriek. A car alarm.
Down the street, a sudden, raw
sound. My heart, a small harm,
caught in my throat, a flaw.