Walking around my house Never knowing what to do I feel minuscule like a mouse And although many years have past, and I grew
I still feel very lost Yet the years go by way too fast Still questioning everything, I feel kind of tossed I know I need to stop dwelling on my past And move ahead.
Gladys Lee // MOVING AHEAD
Trevor C. // LIFE’ S PLAN
I am your caretaker and stapler each and every one of you.
Though I am not your true maker, I will give you meaning
in life. I will give you a permanent home.
Some of you won’t make it that far.
Those with metal legs bent in, and without an owner.
Those shall be cast to the abyss.
While those who are dysfunctional and difficult
will be disposed of
I see you as one of many thousand
journeyman. Your life is short and simple
it ends like all others.
To the iron jaws of a staple remover.
It’s purpose to rip you from your home.
Than cast you of into darkness.
Click!
Stapler to Staple
Emily Narouz // BROKEN
Faith is like a thin, crystal piece of glass
But so is love
and hope
and trust.
One little mistake,
and it shatters into a thousand pieces.
Broken forever.
It will never go back to perfect.
The shards will remain scattered in their heart,
piercing them with every heartbeat.
Lior Amitay // THE BALLAD FOR A FALLING ANGEL
My my,
haven’t you all grown up?
Your sight shatters
Breaks,
Already broken.
Then eliminates.
Me.
I have known you better–
Brighter than a flame,
Lighter than air.
Should have known
To treat you better.
The moment to realize my mistake
It’s too late,
Too late.
Your soul,
Gone.
However,
Some ugly words
Seem to slice right through you
What I don’t get is,
why are you crying?
Your toxic words are no match.
But still,
you cry.
Fake tears,
That hurt others.
You are too dark to cry;
But too pure to understand.
Running through the night,
Never looking back.
You dazzle me over,
Careless.
I want to escape.
Forever,
From the demon
That I myself created.
As far as I know,
Happiness cannot be taken.
Only devoured away.
Isabelle Lim // A REQUIEM FOR UNREQUITED MIDDLE SCHOOL LOVE
It’s okay that the only looks you give me
are glares of contempt.
‘Cause your eyes are like
the deepest pools of melted chocolate
from which I drink
to vanquish my perpetual thirst.
And of course I don’t mind that
the only thing you’ve ever said to me
besides
Can I borrow your homework?
was that my sneakers were lame.
‘Cause
even though you’re laughing
(at me)
I’m blinded by your smile
the kind that you see in those Colgate ads.
And it’s totally fine that
you never bothered to thank me the day
that I gave you the answers
to that test
or the test after that.
‘Cause when you say my name
(it’s Miguel, by the way
not Michael)
it flickers from your lips
a song as saccharine sweet as
the final bell on a Friday.
And my heart pummels my ribcage
threatening to sprout wings
and spring from my chest.
And since
none of those things vex me
in the slightest
I was
uh
wondering
if
maybe
you wanna-
What?
Oh.
No, the quiz is tomorrow.
Anmianyao // CATS
I like cats
Regardless of their fur color
I listen out for the cautious footsteps
Or try to capture the unpredictable figures hiding in the dark
They peek into world in the gap of times
and draw footprints under the roof of cement
They stand by the gesture of independence
Without abandoning the ambitions of world
Cats are like me
Or I am like a cat
My heart deep inside yearns to escape the earth
But lack of courage to forgive and forget the world
Balance towards the world
People live with the absolute independence
Only see the endless sparks in the mirror
Secular people see the objects themselves only
And the others observe both
Cat and me
We enjoy the morning warm light
and cross through the charming night breeze
Nothing really matters in this world
As long as cat and me continue
Daydreaming by the groovy stove
Miguel Caro // THE MYSTERIOUS FLYING VASE
“Oh no”
The vase flew to the ground,
But just as fast
I ran out of the room
Without a sound.
My mom walked in
Smacked her head
The stress she felt seemed to last
But no anger seemed to fester within
Where was I? In the fortress of my bed
She eventually walked in, finding me out
Knowing that I did it, without a doubt
It was just an accident. The wind must have blown it over.
“Forgive me”
Hoping I’d get lucky like a four leaf clover.
Kacey J // ME AND YOUNGER ME
When your eyes are turned outwards, you do your best to stretch the distance between the two of you.
Notice the distinction.
She is not stacked inside of you like a nesting doll, but cut out like a piece of paper.
When your eyes are turned inwards, the distance between you shrinks. It’s an uncomfortable closeness,
but here you are, cheek-to-cheek.
It’s hard not to feel embarrassed when you look at her gapped-teeth and pigtails.
It’s hard not to feel sorry when she points to your short hair and reminds you that you always wanted to grow it
out long.
Tell her how you do things she always wanted to do;
You cross the street without holding anyone’s hand, you read old books with no pictures.
In return, she reminds you of the smell of sunscreen and the sound of rubber shoes against linoleum floor,
Running down the hall and bursting through the door, out onto the playground,
Hot sun beating down, sweat sticking your bangs to your forehead.
Erin Cullinan // THAT OTHER GIRL
I stare at the Girl that lives inside the mirror.
She always follows my lead,
She never strays from my command.
The reflective glass inside my room holds Her prisoner.
She does not complain, for She cannot.
I control what She says, when She moves, and how She looks.
She controls how I feel about myself: She feeds on my insecurities.
Our relationship is symbiotic in most ways:
She cannot exist without me
And without Her what would I be?
I cannot exist without Her and without me what would She be? Our relationship is symbiotic in most ways: I control how she feels about Herself: I feed on Her insecurities. She controls what I say, when I move, and how I look.
But I do not complain, for I cannot. I am a prisoner of the reflective glass in Her room. I never stray from what She says. I always follow Her lead. I forever stare at the Girl who lives outside of the mirror.
Amy Finkelman // BEFORE YOU WERE BORN
Before you were born, you were the thought of fear about the future. Before you were born, you were a
mistake, an accident, and now a problem. Before you were born, your parents were working on a farm,
picking vegetables, and growing rice. You were living on a farm, hours outside of the city, up on a
mountain, in a tiny village. Before you were born, your parents worried about providing food for
themselves. You were a pea-sized fetus, undernourished, and under-developed growing each day.
Before you were born, you were the joy that brought a smile to your mother’s face, but tears, to your
fathers eyes. Before you were born, you were the fear of not getting the future you deserve. You were the
thought that your parents could not provide a life for you. Before you were born, you were the thought that
living somewhere else, becoming a new person, and having new parents would be the best option. The
only option.