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poem written for and submitted to "Sci-Fi Stir Fry" contest, Mays Publishing, 5/26/2026
poem submitted to "Your Favorite Poem #4" poetry contest, Seth Pina, sponsor, 5/30/2026
The night the traveler appeared, the stars rearranged themselves~ not dramatically, just enough to suggest they’d been expecting him. He stepped out of a corridor that wasn’t there a moment before, its edges flickering like a memory refusing to settle. He carried no pack, only a small sphere that pulsed faintly as if listening. He said he’d come from a world that hadn’t formed yet, a place where oceans dreamed first and land arrived later to give them something to remember. When he spoke, his words bent the air~ not loudly, but with the quiet authority of someone who has already lived the moment you’re living now. He asked for water. When I handed him a glass, the liquid rose in a thin column, twisting like a curious creature trying to recognize him. He nodded, as though this confirmed something he’d suspected for centuries. Before dawn, he walked back into the corridor~ which opened obediently, like a door learning its purpose. He paused, looked at me with a kind of sorrow, and said, “You’ll understand this later.” Then he vanished, and the stars quietly returned to their usual positions~ almost. One remained slightly out of place, as if marking the spot where the story had slipped through time’s fingers.
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