A “deus ex machina” is a literary device defined as “a person or thing that appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty” (Merriam-Webster). For example, a cargo plane accidentally (and very fortuitously) drops a supply of food onto the island you’re stranded on. Write a poem or short story that includes a deus ex machina. [Photo by Meritt Thomas on Unsplash]