As They Write
An oasis of English in a desert of French
Books line the walls as they fill the cases, up towards the ceiling
Every genre: classics to fiction to French literature
The stairs stand firmly in the corner
Each step’s center rubbed bare from the individuals who took the ascent
Exposing the austere wood beneath the crimson paint
Up the flight lies the serene atmosphere
The only sounds coming from the yellow typewriter tucked away along the side
As the white-bearded man in a checkered button-down types, his forehead creased in concentration
In the adjacent room sits a man hunched over a desk furiously scribbling words on his paper
Only stopping to shut the small window in front of him that opens each time he secures it
Outside, beneath the unlatched window, sitting on the ligneous bench is a young girl in a navy coat
The pitter-patter of falling water from the Jaguar green fountain and the tourists taking pictures surround her
As she writes in the little ornate journal with her black pen
The ink displaying her hopes to one day sit behind the open window
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