Dept. of Speculation

by Jenny Offill

I liked my apartment because all of the windows were at street level. In the summer, I could see people’s shoes, and in the winter, snow. Once, as I lay in bed, a bright red sun appeared in the window. It bounced from side to side, then became a ball. Life equals structure plus activity.

During World War II, the largest rations went to those engaged in arduous physical labor and those whose work involved reading and writing.