An empty street
lies
next
to a small
diner,
rectangular
and
straight.
The figure
behind
the counter
tightens his hand
around
a mug
of coffee,
and
watches
the wisps
waft
and disappear.
The sun
will soon
swing
back
above
the horizon;
‘round the panes
of glass
of which
light
spills from.
The
terrarium
on
an empty
street.
Benjamin Liu // ON THE EMPTY STREET
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.
Leanna Bai // ODE TO MY PIANO
I know that expressing my gratitude
is quite overdue.
You’ve been with me
before I knew what it means to live
completely and utterly passionately—
No.
You taught me.
You’ve been patient all this time
when I’d smashed your bright, shiny keys in frustration
when I’d played too hard and ripped the delicate plastic coverings
of your bright, shiny keys.
You’ve felt warm teardrops
drip onto the surface of your bright, shiny keys.
Even so,
as my fingers prance left and right
you give soul to the universe
and tell untellable stories.
When your voice is heard,
the mind explodes with a myriad of colors.
I know that I’ve worn you out all these years,
and I have to say your bench is quite uncomfortable
but I will not trade the bright, shiny keys
that taught me what it means to live.
Shobhan Mohanty // MY APOLOGIES
This is just to say
I was unfortunately
late to class.
I tried to be
on time while
coming from math.
I probably missed
something
very important.
I walked as fast as I could,
Trying to not miss
The deafening ringing of
The late bell.
Forgive me
But the
walk was
so relaxing,
the chilly breeze
tranquil sounds
soothing trees.
Kingsbury // NOMOPHOBIA
Buzz, ring, chime. Occasional checks throughout the day, With time turn to being submerged By the rough currents that are her phone. The infinite universe of strange videos, Thoughtful posts, and enslaving games Capturing her mind more and more. Time is lost when she is engulfed In its aura. Her face Illuminating in more ways than one With every text, like and follow That pops up on her screen, Revealing the obsession in her eyes. Moving colors and changing lights Leaving her in a deep trance. Never not laboring to please Her followers. Every day more of a reason To serve its needs. More streaks, less battery. A girl and her phone. A relationship that, like many others, Doesn’t work long distance
Maya Subramanian // SMILE
A smile, Simple, yet powerful. A smile costs nothing, yet gives everything. It takes but a moment, But the memory could last a lifetime.
I’ve learned that all it takes is one smile, one beam one laugh one chuckle
To light up a day, Wash away the sadness, And create a sense of inexplicable cheer.
A smile can bring Rest to the weary, Cheer to the discouraged, Sunshine to the sad.
And all the while, A smile can never be bought, Begged, borrowed, or stolen. For it is of no use to anyone else
Unless it is given away.
Some people are too tired to give a smile, So give them one of yours!
Just stop by with a grin and wave, And create a memory to adore.
Lina Jaafar // “SCARED FOR THE FUTURE”, A CONVERSATION WITH MY ANXIETY
“Scared for the Future”, a Conversation With my Anxiety By: Lina Jaafar One day It is small, a star in the night sky. One day It is the night sky, swallowing me whole, Turning my vision dark, my senses off-
I cry.
Cry out for help, but not aloud, I go limp. Maybe if I sleep the night will pass, But I keep it alive, like a drug, it consumes me!
Some days my friends light candles, I think the night is gone, but it’s still there, Sharp, cold, biting–welcome.
I hide,
Hide from all the candles so as to not be fooled, Lock myself in a dark room and the shivering stopsSeeing every miniscule light behind the window.
I turn, breathe a sigh of relief, close my eyes, Thinking the light is gone until I realizeMy friends-they’ve broken my windows, They’ve let the light in!
Mend the barrier, scared of the breeze, Of the silence that follows, Not at ease.
Running out the door, my friends at the party, “Why don’t you have fun?” It’s not that simple, you see!
It’s not that fun having fun When your body doesn’t want to have fun! Don’t you see?! Stop following me!
I try.
Try to let go, but of what? I’m not holding on, It’s holding on, that pest I can never escape-
Even in my sleep, when I wake, My most loyal friend, Always there to greet me-
Carry It with me like a dog on a leash, But who’s on the leashIs It or is It me?!
My friends, they say, “See the colors around you? Their glorious beauty spins about you!” “No”, I reply.
I am colorblind-
I see black, I see white, I see division, I see It.
“Are you scared of the darkness?” “No, friends, I am scared of the light.”
Jadyn Thibodeau // ALL HOURS
The stifled sounds
Drowned commotion past the doorway
Vocals from mobile bodies
That idle in the hallway
The sterile walls above my head
Encapsulated.
The stationary figure
Idle in bed
Metal machines
Thick plastic tubing
Highlighted by the one shard of sunlight
That divides the room
Late afternoon
Carefully she lay
To the beat of the medical
metronome Suffocating.
The sheets that blanketed her body
Forced alive
All hours awake