ephemera

by Eva Alter

Ephemera

Dizzy by the promise of fate,

We meander the island’s edge at midnight;

You glimpse the firmament with your binoculars

As I sit in the sand and listen to the tides gasp

Their satellite song. One month before our

Severance. Nothing but clear, dim skies

To intimate the imminent rupture—

You are awestruck at the endless matter,

And I am content to witness your elation.

A cycle later, and our universe will shatter.

We do not know this yet. We are tethered to this

Reality—one where stars still manifest themselves.

Image of Eva Alter

BIO: Eva Alter is an emerging writer from the Southeast, writing about memory, liminality, loss, and nature. Her work is published or forthcoming in Maudlin House, L I M I N A L  S P A C E S  M AG, Wild Roof Journal, wildscape. literary journal, and elsewhere. She can be found at @eva_alter_poet on Twitter/X and @eva.alter.poet on Instagram.