Embedded Files
"Always on my Mind"
by anonymous
My return to Rockland reminds me
Of my childhood and my warm memories.
Now I see all that I left behind me,
And seeing my friends feels like centuries.
Visiting the places we used to go,
Enjoying the food that I used to love,
And now it feels unreal doing so,
Feels like it is god's gift sent from above.
Winter was the best time for me and Mom,
Before school, she used to make me hot tea,
And when I had quizzes, that made me calm,
Here alone I can feel her absentee;
These memories will always follow me,
Until I make new ones and let them be.
"Self Portraits"
by Polly Anna DeAlmeida
"Nostalgia"
by anonymous
I miss being a kid
I miss loving to play in the snow
I miss building sand castles
I miss jumping in leaf piles
I wish I could reverse time
Maybe for a day, an hour, five minutes
I would do anything to go back to the days my brothers and I would play and play for hours on end
I still find myself wishing time away
I'm 14 but 15 sounds fun
It's a habit that I can't seem to escape
Until I'm grown and am wishing I was 14 again
In high-school
Playing sports, with my whole family in one house, with my entire life ahead of me
But life goes on
or
The idea of growing up scares me
It really really scares me.
Ending high-school.
Finishing sports for good.
My brother leaving home.
College.
Being by myself.
Not having my parents.
Having a career.
Paying taxes.
But part of it's exciting.
Driving.
Senior year.
Graduating.
Relationships.
Marriage.
Buying a house.
Kids.
Retirement.
But in the end, that's how it works
And life must go on.
"A Truck Memory"
by Amelia Harrington
"Furbees"
by Faith Henry and Lily O'Connell
"Forest Day"
by Conor Quackenbush
Why does the forest sing a song so sweet
with the soft rustling of the stream
and the gentle sun’s warm beams
Animals wake to the birds’ morning tweet
The wolves awake, some still young in tooth
Always hunting, looking for their next meal
Oh, how glorious a pack must feel
The meal in the den is milk for the youth
The bears hibernate throughout the cold frost
They wake in the spring to go to the stream
Finding fish and berries, they pick the woods clean
Stuffing themselves to avoid the loss
The balance of nature must be precise
Or the whole of the world will pay the price
"Birch Trees"
(top) by Faith Henry
(bottom) by Tristian Lawn
by Violet Smith
"Christmas Eve"
by Jefflyn Sahn
It’s Christmas Eve
and the elf is free.
He puts on his little red hat
then flies to Mr. Christmas for a chat.
The naughty children’s presents are put to a pause,
but the magical holiday will still spread much joy with much cause.
Adults make cookies with a side of milk,
then place the treats on a table covered with silk.
Little ones help to brighten up the gloomy tree,
first ornaments, then lights, and a star with glee.
Youth rush to their beds in excitement,
their presents await them for their assignment.
The moon falls asleep causing the sun to awaken.
There are boxes bathed in ribbons and colors under the tree that’s unshaken.
Stockings filled with treats and gifts,
Santa did not miss one word on his list.
"House Cleaning"
by Vivian Nguyen
Specks of dust float around the attic. Her shadow crosses the room in slow strides, eyes lingering on memorabilia from vacations that make decades seem like yesterday. In one photo, sunglasses sheath her youthful eyes from a blazing sun while pale sand coats her legs. She’s bathing in the heat on a colorful towel with a cartoony starfish. Taking the old picture in her hands, her mind wades through those hazy and fleeting days for the memory. When was this? Perhaps, Hawaii with Aunty Linda? No, it could also be Florida.
Her attention flits.
There’s a worn shirt from a field trip sometime in elementary. How could she throw that away? She could barely remember those days.
And then she sees a stuffed rabbit she was sure her Pop threw away when he thought she had gotten too old for toys. Clutching it close to her chest, she shakes her head. He has to stay, she thinks. He and I grew up together.
Torn papers cover the wooden planks of the room, boxes are downturned, and the massive mess of her past is fresh. The bitterness of nostalgia rubs on the reopened wounds in her heart, but everything she could recall was vivid and sweet—nothing miserable.
How can I be sad? I’m living such a comfortable life now. Of course, it is not as simple as that. When she was young, everything was so much less complicated. Her parents were alive and well. She didn’t have to worry about being alone because she had plenty of friends in college. Now, most of them moved across the country. But it’s not about the distance.
She knows Charlotte lives down the street with her husband and two teens. The oldest is at Suffolk, studying to become a meteorologist. She could visit them now and talk like they used to, but it wouldn’t be the same. It would feel restricted, confined to “How’re the kids doing?” and “I’ve been growing some tulips in my backyard.” She is sure that Charlotte isn’t going out to parties or shopping every other day with friends like they once did. Those days are gone, and she is not the same person she was in college.
Strips of her life surround her in mounds, but after a week, they no longer clutter her attic. She could finally be at peace.
Her nephew runs through the hall with his arms flailing. His agile body darts into her bedroom.
“I don’t want to take a bath!” he screams.
Exhaustion weighs down on her shoulders. “But don’t you like bubbles?”
“No!”
He shoves away and stumbles into the nightstand. Something falls. They look at the small picture frame facing down on the floor. With a smirk and a giggle, he seizes the opportunity to escape. She bends down carefully and sighs. Luckily, the glass of the frame is intact.
When she leaves to seek out that rascal, her faint smile matches the one in the picture. That’s something that hasn’t changed.
"Christmas Day"
by anonymous
Presents lined up under the tree
Stockings up to the brim
While outside is still dim
Parents left to clean up the debris
Wrapping paper all over the floor
Brand new presents to show off
Doesn't matter that you have a cough
The wreaths still hung up on the front door
Showing off to all your friends
The new toy is your new disguise
The mask covers your eyes
They love to joke and play pretend
Christmas as a kid is the best
No one ever could protest
"Marshall"
by Mackenzie McManus
"Favorite Movies"
by Luci Pumphrey
"Nostalgia"
by Bryce Marrero
I don’t remember everything but
I wish I could go back, I really do
It doesn't feel real, it's like a ghost
It's almost like I wanted to be the host
I didn't know what would happen very soon
All I wanted was to shoot for the moon
As long as I was okay and didn't fall
I had my brothers behind me as well
The only thing I wanted was to bawl
My family helped me through along the way
It was all because of the man above
When I got my chance, I knew it was my day
Then I met her, and I was very much in love
That was six years ago and it was more than okay
"Nostalgic Christmas Memories"
by Jefflyn Sahn
"Summer Air"
by Ben Willis
Julia watched in awe as the machine dispensed hundreds of tickets. Angel nonchalantly waited for the process to end before ripping off the end and throwing the bunch in her bag.
“I will never understand how you do that,” Julia stated, still fixated on her friend’s almost-full tote.
“I’m just better than you,” Angel jokes.
Julia playfully rolled her eyes back. “Come on, let’s go cash out.”
The two girls combined their tickets into one slip and walked over to the arcade’s counter. Thanks to Angel, they had six thousand tickets, a new record between the two. While they could’ve exchanged for a rare prize, they instead opted for an overload of sugary candies.
As they exited the arcade, Julia savored every moment of the feeling of transitioning from the air conditioned interior to the warm summer air. The entire aesthetic of summer was easily one of Julia’s favorite things in life. She always felt so happy this time of year, and each time it made her feel like a kid again without fail. For her, the only thing that makes summer just that more euphoric is having Angel by her side.
“Hey Julia, what time is it?” Angel asked.
“Uh, almost seven,” Julia noted. “Why what’s up? You wanna grab dinner?”
“We could do that,” Angel said, “Or…”, she slowly turned towards Julia, “we could get ice cream and sit on the beach.”
The answer was obvious to her. “Okay, let’s do it!”
The two girls walked to the beachfront ice cream shop, which was about a two minute walk from the arcade. The temperature was perfect, and Julia still held onto this feeling. She looked past Angel’s hair at the kids on bicycles and up to see seagulls decorating the orange sky. It was her paradise. Before she knew it, they were at the shop.
Angel whispered to Julia, “I’m surprised the line is this short, usually the entire Chicago population is here.” Julia just laughed.
She got up to the counter. “Hi, can I get a medium peanut butter cup bowl with caramel drizzle and chocolate sprinkles please?”
The man nodded at Angel and then pointed to Julia for her order. Her voice was soft, “Small vanilla… in a bowl.”
The pair moved off to the side to wait and as usual, Angel immediately started making fun of Julia for her boring order. It was their normal, so Julia just ignored her playful remarks until their order was ready. Angel eventually went to find a seat on the stone path overlooking the shore. When the ice cream was ready, Julia brought them over.
Julia sat across from Angel. Appearance wise, they looked so different, as if they could never be friends. Angel was in a white crop top and booty-shorts, blonde with her hair tied back. Julia on the other hand had dark, straight hair and wore a short-sleeved shirt and capri shorts. None of it mattered, though. They were the best of friends.
“You know,” Julia started, “I really value our friendship.”
“Hm?” Angel looked up. “Sorry, I was looking at my reflection.”
Julia brushed that aside. It’s typical for Angel. With a laugh, she began, “I just love doing all this stuff with you. You’re like, the only person who makes me feel like a kid again.”
“Oh, well me too! We’ve been friends for what—like—eight years? You’re one of the few people who judge me for acting so childish sometimes.”
“What do you mean judge? You're mega popular.”
“Yeah well, that’s just because I’m pretty,” Angel confirmed, “it’s so true so I understand why, and I’m very likable but you are like my only friend where I can be a hundred percent myself.”
Julia glanced at the setting sun. “I wish we could just stay like this forever, I’m really not looking forward to college in September.”
“You’ll be fine. You know my university is just a little ways away.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Julia paused, “It just feels so scary getting old.”
“At least we’re doing it together.”
“And you know I’ve always been a sucker for nostalgia. Summer always gives me that feeling so maybe that’s why I’m feeling that certain way right now.”
“Same! Summer always reminds me of when I was younger.”
“It literally feels like 2012 right now. I’ll always remember this nostalgic night.”
“Me too,” Angel agreed, “now come on. You wanna go down to the beach or go home?”
“Do I even have to answer?”
Angel smiled. “No. Now c’mon, let’s go!”
by Bailey Foley
"Summer Back Then"
by Hannah LeBlanc
The green grass and smelling the fresh air
Chocolate melted on cracker to make s'mores
Wind vigorously blowing through my hair
Eating fresh watermelon to the core
Wishing for more beautiful days like this
Hoping to smell warm smoke from the hot fire
Going to have fun in the summer bliss
Wearing my cool new blue summer attire
Smelling the smoking ashes from the grill
Swimming in the pool till my lips turn blue
Getting the fresh hot food from Uncle Bill
Having fun chatting with Great Auntie Sue
Intensely competitive games with friends
Having more fun when you win in the end
"Falling Stars?"
by Anonymous
The moonlight was bright. My friend and I stood there on the hill watching the stars fall. A few moments later, it was time to leave. We walked down the hill carefully looking at the sky, when suddenly a star was falling. We stood stunned as a star came falling down. It looked as though it was larger than us. Suddenly, it slammed into the ground. The star was so massive, it caused an earthquake. We stood shocked after the collision had died down, finding it had left a huge crack. The star was beautiful and was still glowing. Despite hitting the ground, it looked as though it had not been damaged. Then we watched in silence as a smaller star drifted from the sky and landed gently on my head. Surprisingly, it wasn’t heavy. It was squishy and soft. I found I liked it. The star sparkled and shined. The light was so extremely bright it caused the two of us to pass out.
When we woke up, we were in my room and I tried to say, “The star was…”
My friend chopped off my words to say, “So beautiful. It was so beautiful!”
Then I realized the same star from our dream was still in my hair. It must be a gift from one of the crows I had fed. Looking up, I realized the bird stood there watching me. I looked around and I thought to myself, “What a beautiful dream!”
Yet we had not known that outside there were actually stars falling from the sky. The star I was holding purposely caused us to pass out and made us think that it was all a dream, while in reality chaos was happening.
"Colored Love"
by Alyssa De Araujo Silva
"Old Fashioned Diner"
Photographed by Anonymous
"Self Portraits" Cover Art by Polly Anna DeAlmedia
***
Published December 19th, 2022
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