Fear & Destruction
Smoke Screen
The crow weeps tears
black like bitter onyx,
occupying the emptiness
of a world long gone;
slaughtered into oblivion.
Smoke dresses the robotic
branches of a forest;
idle life plunged into dark.
It lingers in the
hospital; untouched.
An element of hope,
ceaseless like the plague,
makes the throats of
wise men raw with
shallow screams.
Time halts forever.
-Yuliya Pasechko
Esmeralda Rosas-Sanchez
Brianna Wang
Justine Massabny
First Surgery
What I remember about that day
Is the recurrent beeping of the machines
My jittering legs shaking from the anxiety
The chilly yet friendly operating room full of doctors and nurses
And constant bombardment of small talk
And the rubber, colossal anesthesia mask around my mouth
Until finally my uneasy conscious started to fade
Nothing about my family waiting in the waiting room all night
Nothing about the extensive details of the surgery
-Ronnie Abudaqa
Veronika Warchol
Plastic Prison
Stuck behind these foggy plastic cages
Day by day, watching the time pass by
They can’t hear me, and I can’t see their faces
So I’ll lock the cage and slowly close my eyes
Wandering these broken, empty hallways
Ignoring all that’s happening outside
They say these cages are for our safety
And I’d believe them if their eyes were open wide
Still we’ll all just play along as if it’s a game
What a fun time we’re all having
And we’ll all just pretend as if we are okay
But the truth is no one is laughing
The window is open, but the screams are terribly loud
So I’ll close it shut and cover my ears
They say that it’s fine, all dandelions and gilded clouds
It cannot be a lie if no one hears
The seats grow emptier the longer I stay
And to them, ignorance is not a sin
I can’t see the chalkboard, or hear the pain
But this perfect world is not mine to live in
I’m tired of playing along as if it’s a game
What’s so fun about being heir to a broken crown?
Though I can’t see nor hear, I still can think all the same
Plastic cages can’t be that hard to break down
-Yasmina Abufasha
Taniya Giles
Brianna Wang
Nightmare
The night before last was a ‘mare in my eyes
Dreaming about a game that determined my life
Win the round, and you play once more
Lose the round, you become a corpse
Anxiety choked me, it overbore
I lost the round rather sore
Not wanting to die, I create an elaborate plan
To escape my fate, I went to use the can
I could not delay my fate for long enough
My time was running out and so was my bluff
Pure impulse, took over my mind
As I made a mad dash, leaving behind
death and worries not wanting to die
Sprinting out the door was all I could try
Looking at the night sky
I felt I was being chased
The dark got darker
So I forced my body to wake
-Janae Roberts
A world of paranoia,
Is a world many people live in,
The fear of broken hearts,
Running away from our problems,
Skeptical choices like a buffet of poisonous apples to choose from,
The news of scams run through our computers like music to our ears,
Living through the life of the hunt,
Followed by the songs of fear,
-Jared Brown
Elyssa Quispe
Jeillanie Reyes
Drink
Yes, it is fire, and yes, it is rage.
And yes, I detest it. But it comes alive and
Makes me drink from its cup. It hates me, drives
Me to ruin. It puts me in my place and forces me
To my knees, like a sinner in a cathedral. His
Lies are apparent, sitting on his shoulders, stained
Red for all to see. And still he prays, as if
He knows he’ll need the absolution very soon.
-Angelina Pacosa
(Burnout)
I walk for miles on a bumpy ground.
Walked for a while, but no light was found.
Found me some Fire and its crackling sounds.
Don’t let it die or I’ll be blamed.
Fire’s stomach signals silent growls.
Feed Fire prior till the time runs out.
No fuel for Fire but my pockets hold,
Three crinkly dollars to my name.
Unwanted worry runs throughout,
My system, pulled a loose bill out.
Fed fire a third of my worth’s amount.
Two crinkly dollars to my name.
I met a florist with an apparent frown.
She sold me flowers, plastic fumes flared out.
I bought those flowers at her new discount.
One less dollar to my name.
My Fire is dying down.
More Fire needed till the sun is out.
Been feeding Fire for a while now.
Cling onto the last dollar to my name.
No sticks, no fuel around.
Just me and Fire’s dying crackling sound.
Fire stares my last dollar down.
Now it’s up in flames.
Anonymous
Olivia Gomez
imperceivable
— — — — — — —
as i paint myself with the eyes of the world awaiting my value, i wonder,
will i ever be able to look at my flaws and listen to my voice without the catalyst of another?
will i ever be able to truly fathom the contents of my existence through my own gaze?
i am not limited to the figure who reflects me in the streaks of my mirror.
my perpetuity, forever changing under the guise of my world;
i am infinite.
-jadelyn villa
my own boat
i cry more than i should
but i form my own oceans
to float on
since no one will build me a boat
-Lillyann Martins
Anabelle Carreras
Succubus
Vehemently slay
Your voice like a siren
Lures him in your cave
Burn his flesh with desire
His love turns to liquid
Drink it off his tongue
Fill his sin with your touch
Consume his every breath
Eat his heart with ruby lips
Savor his rotten soul
Then devour him all
Burn his flesh with desire
Drink the love off his tongue
Vehemently slay
-Marlene Muhammad
Omar Leal
Collin De Forge
My Lover Is Going Into War
My lover is going off to war,
O how I wish this didn't happen like before.
I long wished for this to end,
So we could have a beginning before the end.
By Aryanna Adler
A War Poem
Destruction and death are everywhere
Guns are heard in the distance
Missiles hit structures and people
Fires burn bright from buildings
Tanks move forward while firing
Soldiers shoot at whatever they see
Children lie face down as if sleeping
Half bodies cover the streets
Bombed houses stand next to them
The horrors of war are ubiquitous
-Eleni Malindretos
Collin De Forge
Alexzander Taliaferro
Death
I saw a crow flying by
Is it time to say bye
Who will go with the crow
And follow him through narrows
Through tunnels and through the trees
-Aryanna Adler