Keeley Young
Why Is It Hard to Fall Asleep?
and other pertinent questions, I guess
my body, you are exhausted
you revolt against me so.
the exhaustion of wanting nothing more than to read a book,
if sleep may not be on the cards,
but I reiterate: exhaustion
synonym for absolutely bloody tired.
Why Do I Turn to the Glow of My Phone?
when I know the burning light damages my eyeballs
you only get two eyeballs, unless you pilfer.
is it the comfort; it’s the comfort
everything that orbits a mobile phone
nothing orbits my darkness except little sounds
the choppy blend of the overhead fan
my brain saying, hehehe, maybe you’d be better off dead.
Why Am I Not Scared of the Dark?
when I lie awake in it,
far more terrified of my death
of growing too old to tie my laces, tie loose ends with friends, breathe steady
the most terrifying thing is dying too young
and all I want to do right this very instant is watch a silly little musical show about a couple of ordinary human beings, they’re doctors, stumbling on a mystical land that attempts to solve their problems for them, through song of course
(Schmigadoon, Season Two coming to AppleTV+ soon)
but I could pass away in my sleep
although it’s so rare for a person my age,
yeah I did some light research
trying to talk myself down from the ledge.
Why Am I Awake?
because I can’t quiet my head
because the suggestions don’t help
because my body aches
because I like making complaints.
Author: Keeley Young writes queer literature, fantasy fiction, poetry (sometimes), and emotion-focused work that he hopes makes people feel heard and seen, even just a little. You might be familiar with his work with ScratchThat from last year, where he wrote about cuddling with robots, communing with a dead gay lover, and summoning demons.
Artist: Zoe Hawker is a multi-disciplinary student artist working with sculpture, installation, and painting. Her self-reflexive practice aims to decode the absurdities of our current culture.
Editors: Brock Scholte and Breeh Botsford