july.

Luna Phalen

july is the biggest room i've ever stood in,

full of desolation and waiting and waiting

and waiting in the dark heat.

my real self watches from the moment when leaves fall,

unable to cut a door into summer’s glut.

they wouldn't help if they could anyways,

i can feel the beginnings of their saying

this pain was a gift

inside my own mouth.

so i'll wait july out,

find salvation in the ceiling fan

above the bed tomb i'm rotting in

(it spins and spins like the same day over and again),

or something.

Luna Phalen is a junior at West Liberty University where they are an editor for the university's literary magazine Ampersand. When they aren't stressing over classes and writing poems as a way to procrastinate, they can be found working in their college's library. They hope to eventually pursue a master's degree in library science and become a university librarian.