The Piano That Found Me:
ACT I: THE FOG I WAKE UP IN
Most mornings
I wake up
ninety percent inside a cloud.
Not sleep.
Not dreams.
A fog that lives behind my eyes
and refuses to lift
no matter how well I behave.
I Can’t Do Fake
by Christopher Sopher
Act I: I Can’t Do Fake
It flashes like a red light in my mind—
a glitch in the air,
static crackling beneath polished smiles.
A warning.
A hollow sound in a crowded room.
I know it when I feel it.
I see it before it breathes.
Fake.
When I woke from the big sleep,
eyes wide open, then closed,
clarity burned brighter than the sun.
The veil tore,
cast into the fire,
with all my other doubts.
"Songs of the Desert" The Slow Build of a Double Album: Songs of the Desert began as sound. Late nights. Windows open. Heat still hanging in the air. These songs weren’t written with vinyl in mind. They were written because they needed to exist.
For inquiries, submissions, or general questions, please reach out.
Christopher Sopher
Editor, Valley of the Sun Press
Email: csopher@sopher.net
We welcome thoughtful messages related to:
• poetry
• storytelling
• photography
Valley of the Sun Press (www.valleyofthesun.press), We’re launching community photo submissions soon, featuring real moments from around Phoenix and the Valley, including:
* Weather
* Breaking moments
* Community life
Photos of the Week
by Valley of the Sun Press
Phoenix, Arizona
Photo of the Week
Photo of the week: “Happy Saturday from Lola!” — Scottsdale resident Ken Reinstein captures a
The Spine of the Sun Where Light Breaks Open is a poetic odyssey of resilience, transformation, and self-reclamation. Told in four acts, this powerful collection explores the depths of survival, the echoes of silence, and the fire that burns within those who refuse to be broken.
The album is built as a living cycle, where Track 18 folds back into Track 1 and the story begins again. The loop mirrors the way love, heartbreak, healing, and self-discovery return to us throughout life.
