The Wall Behind the Frame

The picture has come down, but its place is still occupied. A nail fixes the pale rectangle to the wall while the frame waits below, turned away. Blue from the laptop reaches the patch before the lamp's warmer light can settle it. The chair holds a third angle, slightly withdrawn from both. Removing one object has made the room harder to finish looking at: the wall now shows two ages of white, and neither quite belongs to the present light.