A napkin? Or was it another word, probably lost to time
Yet another piece of erased history, soon before its prime
A candle blown out by the sleight of hand
An ashen cloth carries itself across the land
The spider caws, the crow weaves
Soon to be whispered slowly upon unbroken dead leaves
The candle slowly reignites
Aligning the spirits under the firelight
The napkin begins to catch its own flame
The spirits begin to play their own game
The burning cloth dries down to the bone
Losing its color, losing its tone
The napkin fades away into black
The ashen remains, excitement, they seem to lack
And the spirits dissipate unsatisfied
Never to return to the candlelight
Never always takes forever

Biography: Hi, I’m Landen Shuey. I’m from Early College Academy, so that’s how I’m connected to Aims. My craft has become more and more important as my years in high school went on and I’m going so far as to major in guitar performance at UNC for the fall 2022-2023 school year. I chose my craft because I’ve always loved music and I’ve always loved epic stories with beautiful, infinitesimal, and especially whimsical writing. I try to inspire awe in many different aspects of my work because I’m a show-off. I listen to a lot of odd indie music, and it really gives me a sense of whimsicality only a few people with such a child-like sense of wonder could acquire. Tally Hall and Jukebox the Ghost are two bands I draw a lot of inspiration from for my music and my writing. Thanks for reading!