I wrote you onto
the back of the book
so that I never
forget where I began.

As the sun sinks
russet pink on Market,
I’m reminded of
a tiny room
with no physical windows,
but where between equations,
I dreamed a creation—
a world across the stars
where characters with magic
might discover who they are.

I wonder often
what I’d say to
my younger self
if I could speak to
them, knowing
what I know now…
but the truth is
that I’d just smile
from a distance
and rest in the knowing
that every mistake
they are destined to make
will lead them to this life
that’s more glorious and grand
than they could ever imagine

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STILL THE STARS, Elayna’s debut YA fantasy novel in verse, is available now wherever books are sold.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | IndieBound | Signed Copies

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Featured photo by Elayna Mae Darcy © 2022