Aditi K // ARMS

In school, I was told to write,
About a place close to my heart.
I started thinking for really long,
Going through options, not knowing where to start.

Should I write about my studio,
Where I sit and paint for hours?
Or my grandma’s garden,
Where I always stop to sniff the flowers?

It dawned upon me then,
To write about wherever I feel at home,
The place I return to when I’m lost,
Where I don’t need to wander or roam.

How can I find this place,
Is it far away through mountains or farms?
No, I don’t need to look that far,
My safe place is in your arms.

On the way to class, or in your basement,
My safe place is wherever you are,
You’re there for me without being told,
You don’t need a map or the north star.

Together in a comfortable silence,
I’m nuzzled against your chest,
I choose to revel in the happiness,
Because with you, I don’t feel second best.

Thomas Caouette // ICE COLD

I’m just an object,
A game,
I’m used for entertainment,
I hear them chanting, “Bobby, Bobby, Bobby”,

No one notices me,
Sitting here on this cold ice,
Beaten up by hockey sticks all day,
I may seem tough on the outside,
But what they don’t see,
All the long nights sitting in the bucket, Thinking about the beating i’ll take tomorrow, What they don’t get
Every shot that is fired,
I feel,
While they are busy watching Bobby fly through the air, I trickle out of the net,
Trying to recover from the last shot of the day, Knowing that tomorrow will be the same,
If only they could be puck for a day,
Then they might understand.

Santiago Parizek // BEET

I represent god themselves,
and yet nobody knows it.

I was produced by the beings that created the universe,
And i am healthy and full of nutrition.

I am the epitome of perfection,
Not even radishes compare to my will.

I am the the first beet,
that came before beats were considered an element of music.

I prove that by my mere existence I am made of: Sugar,
Water,
Surprisingly few calories,
Very little fat,
4{8f8d4e344c8a972b8e97d55fa7ec8be4d5f796681e06b247e4219849f812f758} Iron,
Vitamin C & B6
9{8f8d4e344c8a972b8e97d55fa7ec8be4d5f796681e06b247e4219849f812f758} potassium
And the very fuel that keeps this planet spinning on its axis and complete full runs across our star.

Michele Oldrati // PANTOUM OF WATER: MANKIND’S VICE

Condensed into cloud, tamed by the world.
From heaven I glimpsed the beauty of an alluring orb. And its pain, I became fluffy at times. Oh, how much I loved myself then,
Kids now play with me, as if playing with spheres of love.

From heaven I glimpsed the beauty of an alluring orb. And its pain, I sometimes run downhill
Kids now play with me, as if playing with spheres of love.
The excitement and contentment of a sour future

I sometimes run downhill
Strolling down the steep gorges of rocky mountains,
The excitement and contentment of a sour future
when things go acutely awry

strolling down the steep gorges of rocky mountains,
past the alluring plains: trotting with my friends and family
when things go acutely awry
the debris of destruction, the pest

past the alluring plains: trotting with my friends and family
where the disaster happens. Pollution? Worse,
the debris of destruction, the pest
The shadowed shipwreck of a shivering shame

where the disaster happens. Pollution? Worse,
now back home with the minuscul and immense swimmers
the shadowed shipwreck of a shivering shame
and we all rise to meet our destiny again.

now back home with the minuscul and immense swimmers.
I became fluffy at times. Oh, how much I loved myself then,
and we all rise to meet our destiny again.
Condensed into a cloud, tamed by the world.

Catalina L. // IMMORTAL BLAZE

The fog surges,
the sunrise awaits.
Complete serenity,
Rain, clarity
Yearning a shift.
The vapor cascades down,
Warmth, lucidity
a place
home to a dove.

Enchanting,
Captivating
Enduring the luminosity,
letting yourself immerse,
through the fog
the rain
The city of eternal spring.

Till nightfall,
and sunset
when the city becomes viable.
Light surges from the mountains,
overlooking the beacon
Sending the reek of death beyond
the enchantment
at the cusp of your fingers
Medellin

A shocking paradise
Where dark meets outstanding light.
Acquires a feeling of intimacy
Everyone ecstatic,
Joyful
content
Lights glowing
Water glistening
enchantment
Colombia.

Waka Okuda // A BEE’S ARIA

The freshly risen sun smiles
Upon the dewy morning grass.
Soft light,
Gentle and warm,
Floods the field.
A quiet, yet musical
Hum
May be observed…

(but only if you wish to hear it.)

You must poise your ear
And your mind,
Completely
Still.
If you wish to hear the serenade,
The opera,
The shining solo star,
Of the meadow.

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.

Bryant Xia // SNKRS

The swoosh glistens under the sun, The shoe tongue sticks out proudly. The outsole pushes against the rubber,
As the boy soars sky high.
Yet before he knows it, Debris creep into crevices and meshes As they traverse the parquet and concrete.

They now rest in a dusty corner, Uncertain of their fate,
Feeling lost and forgotten.
Occasionally they glance over, to the new pair that occupies their old spot
On what is now A spot-less shelf

So the boy wets a soft bristles, Gently brushing away the dirt and smudges,
Restoring the shine he once saw When he first laid eyes on the shelf.

Perhaps they’ll end up in a landfill. Their meshes and fabrics Torn apart, burned,
Buried and finally neglected.

Yet as he matures and grows, The sneakers begin to age, The cherished pair becomes outdated and unfit.

But that’s okay, They have served their purpose. Memories of the summers they spent
together, Forever lives on in the boy’s mind.

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

Peter Miniutti // MIRROR MIRROR

I stay put, unwavering, without fault
What does Webster say about reflection? Can’t keep up a conversation People pass by but never look Me, me, me
No one wants to talk I only see the selfish I see everything I am there in the dark
There is only one way to stop But no one wants to smash a mirror
Or do they?