My ceiling fan at 2:53 a.m.

Camila Trimberger; Sheboygan, WI—

My ceiling fan shakes to the rhythm of a clock 

counting down the dog days of summer.

I can hear MTV’s “Ridiculousness” playing on the TV in the next room.

My eyes are heavy and my mouth is dry.

I cannot help but lie on my stomach and wait for the night to pass.

But the late August heat has seeped in through the window.

And St. Francis watches me from above my mirror.

And I beg him to make the beat from my ceiling fan fade away.

But the night has just begun.