“Speck”, Jenny Zhang ‘24

A million stars shone in the night sky Above a barren land in silent ash of high A re ection; a mirror upon a desolate world Of loneliness and quiet, the desert unfurls

In the expanses of sand, a great castle lies Old stone and crumbling rock, of blurring lines Escape, escape! Whispers urgently soar Escape, escape! Whispers urgently soar rough unheard words and memories bore

Find us, nd us, nd us our lie! Of echoing words and repeating did I Prophetic voices of the angry, the sad Of unforgiving losses to the great and the mad

Enter the castle, do those thoughts repeat Fading illusions of winding hallways beneath Fading illusions of winding hallways beneath

Bury us, bury us, bury us despaired! Lost in our tomb did those great ones declare!

e castle falls, one speck among many Crowds upon crowds of urrying ight aplenty Freedom, freedom! ose cries rejoice Only to end in silence, without a choice

e castle had died twice over; collapsed e castle had died twice over; collapsed Sinking darkness and encompassing relapse

Follow us, follow us! Do those voices crow, e land of sand, those stars bellow An endless fall, just one step away But much too slow, to descend astray

To the night of pure black, eyes close at stake Yet a gasp and a jolt, Yet a gasp and a jolt, At last, awake.

Speck

by Jenny Zhang

she/her, ‘24