Circumference by Kip Knott

Circumference

Night consists of circles
that together add up to nothing
but the absence of sunlight.

The circle that holds the most
nothingness is called a new moon;
circles that hold the least are called stars.

I used to take night for granted,
like air, and didn’t notice
all the absences. As I’ve grown older,

I’ve learned to accept those absences
like ghost limbs that need scratching.
I’ve learned to begin each day

with three blinks of my eyes to clear
the nightmares that circle my mind
and one deep breath to remember the air.

*

Kip Knott is a writer, poet, teacher, photographer, and part-time art dealer living in Ohio. His writing has recently appeared in Best Microfiction 2024 and The Wigleaf Top 50. His most recent book of poetry, The Misanthrope in Moonlight, is available from Bottlecap Press. You can follow him on Instagram at @kip.knott and read more of his work at www.kipknott.com.