Drawn by James Champion

Edited by Ruquayya Sajjida

Death. That sorry star.

I will not have it

tonight.

Bright as it is,

It does not lure me,

I can sit in an unlit hotel room

with a suitcase full

of pears and spider webs,

humming the same song.

Tirelessly.

Tirelessly.

A tiny ornament

hunt, turning

and sparkling

in my skull.

Like a circle

drawn in the sand,

There’s no touching it.

James Champion (he/him/his) is from Whitehall, Michigan. He graduated from Central Michigan University with an MA in Creative Writing in 2019. He currently works as a cashier at a home improvement store. He likes skiing, walking, travelling. In other words, he is frightened of stillness. However, he is also enthralled by it. This balance might well be an accurate summation of his writing.