My poem “Sword in the Hands of a Stargazer” can be found in Issue 02 of thepsyche’spen magazine, “a youth-led digital magazine for all things humanities and arts.” Digital copies are available for free through Ko-fi here, but please consider including a donation with your order to help support this growing magazine.

The theme of Issue 02 is Dreamer, and this was the first poetry submission where I wrote a piece specifically for a submission theme. The theme intrigued me because there were so many ways that it could be interpreted, but after a little bit of brainstorming, I decided to use my poem to paint a picture of a romantic in a suit of armor who must fend off those who seek to crush their dreams.

Being completely honest, this is one of my favorite pieces that I’ve written in the last year. While a lot of of my poems focus more on the conceptual, this one is far more visual. It uses vibrant imagery and depicts a story in a way that I actually consider every few lines to be their own “scene.” It is meant to be told like an epic tale of a hero and their victory.

I also particularly enjoyed writing this one because while it included battles and injuries, it was still hopeful, and that is the outlook that I hope to keep as a romantic and dreamer living in this messy world. Going through life with the knowledge that there will be fights and there will be wounds, but there will also be peace and there will be healing. Knowing that with the fitting armor and weaponry, our love will continue to prevail.