You have tried twice. It has not moved. Your palms are sore from bracing your weight against the lower frame, and a faint smudge of dirt marks the sleeve of your hoodie where you brushed it against the outer siding.... Read more
The sash moved. The screen frame did not. You’re standing in your apartment hallway, propped against the wall next to the sliding glass door that leads to your fire escape, flathead screwdriver loose in your palm where you grabbed it... Read more
One hand is not enough. You set your palms on the rail. The wood sticks halfway up, grinding against the frame hard enough that you can feel the splinters catch through your thin work gloves. You don’t yank, because you... Read more
You hear a small tick in the frame. You are still pushing. The palm of your work glove sticks a little to the hard plastic of the pry bar you’ve wedged between the old sill and the interior trim. You’ve... Read more
The left side lifts. The right side stays put. You’re propping the loose left pane against your shoulder, fingers brushing the gritty edge of the lower frame where paint has flaked off onto your work gloves. You set a small... Read more
Grit sits in the channel. You have not wiped it. Your thumb brushes the frayed edge of the plastic track cover you kicked loose last week, and you can feel the fine layer of dried sidewalk salt and crushed leaf... Read more
It rained all day. The sash that opened yesterday is tight. You’re propping your grocery bag on the hallway radiator while you jostle the handle, the damp smell of wet oak seeping through the gap where the frame meets the... Read more
The bottom moves. The top one has not moved in months. You kneel on the hallway floor just outside your apartment door, the chipped edge of your plastic putty knife digging gently into the paint seam along the left edge... Read more
You are about to slide a knife into the paint line. The hallway’s motion-activated night light glows soft yellow off the chipped edge of your apartment entry sill, and the stiff plastic component you came out to adjust sits half-stuck... Read more
You lift it and it slides back down. You’re halfway out the apartment hallway window to water the hanging basil you hung last week, and you almost drop the ceramic pot when the frame slams toward your wrist. It’s 8pm,... Read more