Pegasus Literary Magazine 2023
Thank you to all of the writers, thinkers and artists who contributed their work this year
to make a wonderful digital edition of the magazine and a special thanks to Gigi Grullon
whose digital art is the cover of this year's collection of works.
Ms. Woodley, Advisor
TABLE OF CONTENTS
When I open my mouth... by Sabrina Figueroa
it hurts to speak
empty promises
nothing seems to matter
nothing seems to come -
my heart speaks
the unfortunate truth comes out.
Expectations by Kilala Yamamoto
When you achieve a goal that's great,
Your parents' love will resonate,
They'll hug you tight and say well done,
And praise the hard work you've begun.
They'll shower you with words of pride,
And let you bask in joy inside,
For all the effort you have shown,
And every milestone you've grown.
Their gratitude will shine so bright,
It fills your heart with pure delight,
For they'll be grateful for your success,
And all the ways you've made them blessed.
So keep on striving and achieving,
For your parents' love will keep believing,
In all the things that you can be,
And all the goals you'll one day see.
Erasure by Elias Tureikeh
from Verity by Colleen Hoover
Accept the
horror of
the mirror
stare even harder, wondering what
used to be
my face
an inconvenience
wants to be invisible.
The Moon by Ashley Rivas
Moon
Far yet so close
Bright even in the dark
Guides me through darkness of the night
The moon kisses me with its bright light every night
My mother is the moon
y pasan by Hillary Apolo
momentos,
personas,
oportunidades,
vidas,
y el tiempo es lo único
que perdí.
And They Pass
moments,
people,
opportunities,
lives,
and time is the only thing
that I lost.
The Cost of Inaccessible Healthcare for lives in Poverty by Walid Elkasri
In silence they suffer, the poor and the ill,
Denied their care, on account of a bill
Their bodies ache and their spirits low,
As they watch their health and hope both go
Illness and disease run rampant and wild,
Taking a toll on those who can't be beguiled.
They suffer in silence, with no one to hear,
Their cries for help, that fall on deaf ears.
The cries of the ill and destitute,
Echo through the halls of power, resolute,
As we ignore their pain and fears.
Let’s remember those in need,
And work to end this heartless greed,
For every life deserves a chance
To live in freedom, not circumstance
Toxic Legacy by David Aldaz
A disaster we create
leaves our planet Earth with no fate.
A toxic legacy we can’t withstand.
Medical and Hazardous, they both collide.
In our failure to dispose, we dare not hide.
The bins and barrels, they pile up high
a mountain of hazardous waste. It seems to defy
the rules we set, barely keeping us safe.
Our carelessness is so hard to face.
An effluvium of chemicals that fills the air;
an unhealthy sweet smell that’s hard to bear .
The medical waste we generate -
used to help - we should hesitate.
The sound of waste trucks that come and go
while the waste sadly remains; it won’t let go.
The waste is an allegory for our soul,
a reflection of our self control.
The waste we generate is a call to arms
to take action and avoid further harm.
We must take action, everyone knows
that it’s our carelessness we must unload.
Artwork by Gigi Grullon
Mondays Through Fridays by Shahd Ibrahim
I’m laying on my bed, not wanting to get up for school,
I really hope today ends quickly
I think as I finally get up to get ready.
While I eat my breakfast,
And organize my things,
I constantly wonder:
What’s today gonna bring?
Now I’m on my computer
With class after class
Please God, help me pass!
School’s finally over.
I can now take a break.
But, before I do that
I must do my homework - no mistakes!
Superman by Monalise Mucha
If I had your superpower
I would freeze my heart as you have
Long ago
And hold my blood still
So that no one could ever inflict pain
On me ever more
I’d turn my senses blue
And let my passion fade to dust
So I could go through every person
Without a care in the world
Just as you do
I’d never allow myself
To fall headfirst because of another being
And would force the souls away
Of everyone around me
Until they burned to ashes
I’d steal strength from people
Rather than give them my own
And I’d use it to become the
Strongest being in existence
And you would see, that ultimately,
I had enough control to rule the world
And rule over you
And if I had your superpower,
I’d take all the love
I wanted to give to you and
Pour it all out in front of your face
Until it ran out
And you, as well as any other man,
Would never be able to hurt me again.
Where do I keep the darkness? by Sky Lizardo
it's on the pointe of my shoes
at the tips of my fingers
it travels through every leap, every turn, every stretch
it's in the silk of my leotard the ruffled edges of my tutu.
It's in my dance.
We all Breathe... by Tarik Turnbull
We all breathe the same air
Underneath we’re all the same
No matter how different we appear
Our hearts beat just the same
Together we can create a world
Where equality is the norm
And every person can live free
Without fear or harm
Let’s stand together, hand in hand
And fight for what is right
Until the day when hate is gone
And we can all unite.
That Love
Anonymous
People say love is happy
People say love is joy
People say love is affection
Is love really all those things?
Love is affection until you get mistreated
Love is joy until you are hurt
Love is happiness until you see what they hide
They say love is as deep as the ocean -
is that why I’m drowning?
Untitled by Kaitlyn Vera
I can feel my brain cells shaking.
The thoughts in my head won ´t stop
Darkness appears in my head
You´re not good enough,
do better,
It keeps replaying, begins to pile up:
my mind fills
my eyes spin
my head pounds
I begin to wonder when is it all going to end?
fake a smile
Erasure by Shaylise Nieves
The Love Between Parent and Child by Andreas Socratous
The first to ever love you
The last to ever leave you
Family is everything
Without them we are nothing
Who listened to your cries
Who opened your eyes
Willing to drop everything for you
Their love will always be true
Every day my parents make
Simple things feel special, for my sake
With love and their care
The time and energy they always share
Through every small and large milestone
Their amazing love has been shown
With a smile, hug, or pat on the back
They make me feel like I’m on track
My parents make every moment count
When I’m with them I never have doubts
Everything they do makes me feel truly special
For me, their love and attention is essential
Without them I wouldn't have a clue
Who knew all this love could only come from two
Nostalgia:
a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past typically for a period or place with personal associations
I don't know if I’m nostalgic. I was only eight, my little sister was six. Every birthday wish after that day was the same: for our parents to get back together. We were supposed to be a happy family.
I spend the majority of my time watching old family videos. I feel mourning, I feel grief, I feel aching, deep pain for the people I see there. Maybe for the purity, maybe because I won’t ever feel fully whole again. I long for the part of my life that is over; I don't want to remember getting in trouble for bad grades in the third grade or fighting a family movie night. I mourn for the years that have passed so suddenly, and I cry for the present me that has to look back at those videos to remember blissful moments, those feelings. I miss the comfort of time.
I look in the mirror and have absolutely no idea of how I got here. I hope to start all over from the second I was born. I miss someone I carry every single day. How do you cope with mourning your younger self? How do you sit in your bedroom and watch videos from years before and not look in the mirror, astonished that you’ll never experience anything quite like that again? Nostalgia is not where I live; a sentimental yearning is not what I feel. I feel like I'm floating in the darkness at the end of the movie with nowhere to go.
Untitled Poem by Deyssi Quevedo
I stare at my reflection
Empty eyes
Horror
Death looks just like me:
Invisible.
An Erasure by Irenia Hernandez
from Verity by Colleen Hoover
I
stare at my reflection
like death
from the mirror He
assesses me
I’ve seen worse
He reaches
My face
Almost as if
He wants to be invisible Just like me.
Gone
Anonymous
Lonely day, tomorrow I'll feel it.
The truth gets worse every time I hear it.
I know you're gone; tell me where did you go?
Running away from the way I'm feeling;
maybe that's the way I'm healing
I know you're gone; tell me where did you go?
Artwork by Hillary Apolo
Beauty by Jose Muchacho Abarca
A world full of beauty
Of creatures wild and rare
But many in danger
Lives hanging by a thread so bare
A tiger walks the jungle
Its stripes dark and bold
Its home c r u m b l e s
Like this many stories will soon be told
The world changes fast
Homes are lost
A prices paid for progress
At an unfathomable cost
For in their fate
We may soon face
A reflection of our own
The loss of such life
Leaves our world,
Alone,
Desolate,
Without any balance in nature
Our world will soon perish
The life of our planet
Once cherished
Forever gone.