There’s a woman that lives on the ground floor of my building.
She decorates the fence beside the garbage cans for Halloween.
She hung Christmas lights in the rotting stairwell.
It doesn’t get rid of the stench of cigarettes, and it doesn’t make up for the crazy woman on my floor that bangs on the walls and screams at us from outside of our doors.
It doesn’t make up for my landlord that told me she was just having a bad day.
But it’s something,
And sometimes the hallways smell like chicken noodle soup and popcorn.
And sometimes I hear people laughing from their open windows.
And the Christmas lights in the stairway make it look less daunting.
About the Creator
Jamie Ramsay
Every word is chosen from my throat, in the moments I feel too human.
I am your guide into the sinkhole.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
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More stories from Jamie Ramsay and writers in Poets and other communities.
Comments (4)
So much encapsulated in so few words. I thoroughly enjoyed this and will be subscribing.
This is great. A small vignette that provides a window into a world. To create so much with so few words is a real skill. Enjoyed this. Off to check out more of your stuff.
Love this - like Celia said "the small things" I would have liked to have seen her smile as she hung the lights!
It is always the small things that have the propensity to help us through x Loved this, so well written and relateable! 🤍