by Sam Boyce 

I come home from school to my room

everything is just the way I left it

nothing changes, 

it’s as if my things 

are permanent. 

in an ever changing world, 

my room stays 

the same. 

I think about it, 

how I could move anything, 

a pillow, 

a stuffed animal, 

a picture, 

and the odds of it never going back to the same place it was 

are extraordinary. 

even if it’s by a nanometer, 

if I move it, 

the permanence 

is gone. 

nothing is permanent, 

no matter how glued to the shelves my knick knacks seem, 

the ever-changing world 

is always ever-changing. 

so, I keep my knick-knacks in the same place, 

to prevent 

everything from changing. 

the one thing I can control, 

the one thing I can make permanent

is my room. 

but, my fan blows, 

the windows open, 

people come in 

and out, 

and nothing

can be promised to stay permanent. 

feeling safe isn’t permanent, 

so sometimes, 

it’s best to forget 

that anything can move, 

any knick-knack can be replaced, 

and just

enjoy the comfort, 

enjoy 

the temporary 

permanence.