Chloe

About the author

Chloe Tozser is a short term international student from Florida, USA. Chloe attended Akita International University in the Fall of 2025.

This is Azrael

Mongoose

I sat in a shed,

rusted, worn,

dreaming of days long past,

white paint gleaming under the sun,

80s streets alive with tricks and freedom.

One day, picked up ,

rust scrubbed away,

shiny new paint,

fresh bearings sung,

gears clicked like new.

On the news:

school closed until further notice.

Spring turns into summer,

leaning against the curb,

gas station Slurpees,

tricks in the park,

beach cruises,

warm pavement kissing my tires

Summer turns to fall,

school is reopened.

But I longer lived in a shed,

in a nice dry house now

Each summer coming back out,

to ride again.

Until one fall night,

people were gone,

The house was dark.

Wind howled outside.

Water crept in,

it rose until I was suffocating

salt corroding metal.

At last it receded,

air turned water to rust,

the stiff feeling returned.

The people came back

to chaos and tears.

So much was hauled to the curb,

I waited to be next.

They lifted me out of the wreckage

hosed of the salt and muck,

set me in a dry place.

The rust stayed,

orange scars in every joint.

Months passed with the sound of hammers,

The house was gutted, rebuilt.

New furniture arrived.

I stayed,

warm, dry,

Yet still my bearings still ache with rust.

But I still see them,

their affectionate glances.

I know I am still treasured,

and I have faith,

they’ll fix me,

and we’ll spend summer together again.

(Above) This poem is about my 80's Mongoose BMX bike. I live in Florida and my house flooded in the Hurricane Helene storm surge.

Insomnia

He lies awake on the bed. Faint blue light streams in from behind the curtains, casting long shadows on the ceiling. The fan spins slowly, with each rotation an eternity passes. The static hum of the air conditioner is deafening. The bedsheets are too warm, suffocating him. He shifts, and rolls over but no relief comes. From the corners of his eyes, it watches.

A sudden buzz from his phone cuts through the stillness. The glow of the screen illuminates his face revealing the dark burn scars covering his left eye behind unkempt black bangs. Tobi’s name is on the screen. The phone trembles insistently, begging him to answer. He makes no move. After a few long seconds it finally gives up. The light fades and the room is cast into dark silence once more.

A wave of nausea grips him. He longs to reach out to grasp his savior's hand. More than anything he wants the comfort of the one person who tried to pull him out of the darkness. But he is not worthy. Tobi’s kindness is only wasted on a broken, useless thing like him. He should get out of Tobi’s life before he causes him any more problems than he already has. A warm tear rolls sideways down his cheek.

In the shadows of the dark corner, the tall creature looms like an ominous guardian. Three unblinking yellow eyes, constantly watching.

(Above) This micro-story is inspired by a the song and music video "Insomnia" by the Japanese singer Eve. Unfortunately I didn't get to see an Eve concert this semester. The picture next to it is of a music festival where I got to see Natori play, who is another artist similar to Eve.

I saw a puppy at the mall

The calloused glass between us,

Was scratched here and there.

He looked at me and tilted his head.

Surprisingly listless, the whimpering of longing,

Had a sound like a siren.

Yet it was as though,

Only I could hear it.

When I come back,

And look between the scratches,

Will you still be there?

(Above) This poem was written in the beginning of this semester when my roommate and I went to Aeon Mall and saw this Shiba Inu puppy in the photo. Later that night I was struggling to think of something to write a poem about and he suggested writing it about the puppy.

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