when I am the only person in daytime

Zahra Linsky

by the time I was born, I had already lived in a ghost town  

a dry dusty breeze and the lone human to ever breathe it in  

endless telephone wires connecting to my phone 

and among the bustle of souls, 

writhing across half-rotted floors, 

not even my cats dare to break the stillness 

ghosts are just as violent in death as the humans who created them 

scraping paper shelves from the walls, 

forging themselves between the marrow of crossing wires 

days are just as weary as the nights 

I find myself in endless naps, blacking out and scrolling 

only to lay awake, staring at a blank screen 

silence strains my ears with the endless buzzing of blood 

a feeble attempt to find company within myself 

but what is worse than being alone in a packed room? 

where your ghosts wander, haunt, prey 

yet you can’t meet their eyes 

it would be better to die and be forgotten 

or to be on your lonesome, an interloper among the living 

than to be raised in this ghost town 

Kai Harrington is a dual enrollment student at Cedar Crest. They have been creating art since they were nine years old and have a great interest in game arts. They love to create and inspire, and enjoyed participating in this year’s exchange.

Zahra Linsky is an editor of Pitch and a chemistry major at Cedar Crest College. Her debut anthology, What Arrives After Treefall, is an exploration of her love of nature through the lens of abandonment. She has been recognized for her writing by YoungArts and Scholastic Art & Writing. Her favorite way to spend an afternoon is cuddling with her dogs outside.