Each of us asleep
isolated with a colony inside
little brown bats roosted
in an attic, waiting for sundown
so the hunt can start
low, over calm water.
A Prophecy in Rest
Preston Ham is a poet, photographer, and school psychologist in Washington State, where he has the privilege of helping students who are often marginalized navigate physical, social, and emotional boundaries. He finds inspiration in the narratives we construct about ourselves and how we can shape those narratives to affect change in our mental health. He is a graduate of the Eastern Washington University MFA program. His poems have been published in Manastash, Braided Way, Sybil, and are forthcoming in Abstract Magazine. He was nominated for the Orison Books 2025 Best Spiritual Literature Anthology.