Issue 4: Creative Writing

CREATIVE WRITING

The art of word.

CREATIVE WRITING COLLECTION Aleshina Daria

they used to pin me on the wall of shame i had to frame myself to be displayed as art. i clenched my teeth and bit my tongue so many times i sharpened them; now phrases from my lips cut lines on throats. i became a golden statue. they squeeze their eyes looking at me just like they did when i was weird for them. now i’m a threat to be eliminated but little do they know that sparks can burn down cities and, oh boy, i’m full of them.


Delaney Davidson

“October” With it’s clammy winds October gave me peace of mind Slowly moving Shallowly shifting October gave me joy The leaves started crisp Still pulsing with life The chaotic energy within slowly spread to the lush floor That energy spread up and into our souls Leaving us disproportionately volatile As the colors changed So did the color palette of my mind Change Reason Reality And sentiment Made me look at the world differently By the end I need to move on The days became lethargic And I needed to rest

“East and West”I want you to hold me like a porcelain doll

Careful not to break me Feeling my cold body But warming me with yours I want you to kiss me nice and slow While the bass of the song digs into the room Forcing me to pick between the beat of your heart Or the beat of the song I want you to press your hips to mine I want you to gaze down into my eyes I want you to lift me up from this world I want to be yours But the things the separate us have engulfed what could’ve been My hands too cold for you to hold The song too loud to clearly hear Your eyes looking too far into the distance Nothing can keep this together So we’ll turn our backs to each other I’ll face west You face east And maybe one day someone will peer behind

Elaine Young

“Two Zero One Eight”Finally, the year has come to an end.

This year feels long for me because I realized in the past 356 days I have gone through a lot. As thecurtain falls, and as the chapter come to an end, here is what I’ve learned and realized throughout theyear.

1. Everyone is like a piece of puzzle trying to fit in.

We are just like a piece of a picture puzzle. Trying to find a place we belong to, trying to fit in, and at the same time figuring out life. Just like how we put a piece of puzzle into the wrong empty spot where it clearly doesn’t fit, sometimes we try to squeeze ourselves into a place where we don’t belong because that is what others are doing. But that is not our place. The journey of figuring out where we belong and what we are best in is a long path. It is trial and error. Sometimes we have to try multiple times. Joining different groups and different kinds of people while trying to find where we really belong. It might be draining and tiring, but don’t give up and don’t give in. Continue searching until you find that perfect empty space. When you find that, the puzzle is complete and you will see the beautiful completed picture.

2. Don’t trust your feelings.

Feelings suck. They are something you should never trust. Feelings sometimes lead us to a place where we doubt ourselves, feel like we are not good enough, and sometimes feelings also bring us down into that dark and deep hole of self-pity. We end up pitying ourselves, feeling so negative, and hating our life. So, instead of immersing yourself in your feelings, try changing the way you think. Stop looking at the world in such a negative and dark perspective. Yes, it might seems cheesy, but it really works.

3. Be Yourself.

The last lesson that I’m still slowly discovering and learning is to be yourself. It is hard sometimes to stop caring about what others might think about you because you are too used to being so overly sensitive and self-critical. The fear of not being accepted for who you are. We try to hide our real and true self beneath the mask. Stopping ourselves from saying out our thoughts, stopping ourselves from laughing out loudly, holding ourselves down from being real and being ourselves. Why? Fear of what others might think. Before the year ends, let me tell you this. Stop caring so much! Stop trying so hard to please others. You matter. Your thoughts matter. You really do.

Erin Ingledew

“A Woman Scorned”

There is a double standard for a woman Who ultimately decides that her worth Is far greater than a man’s ego. Finally she is able to pick herself up, Piece by piece, Claim herself anew, and Walk with her head held high. Yet still, she is on the receiving end of curious glances Dripping in judgement. The wind carries the whispers of her name Floating off the lips of others As they share their unsolicited opinions. How dare she display her happiness? She left him in waiting

With hopes as false as the the sun in the night sky Thinking she would once again fill the void between his arms. Now she questions the deliberate space and time she carved to heal And wonders herself if she has moved on too fast for it to all be true. She remembers the era before she began to release the pain When she was learning to untangle herself from his grip and All the nights she spent wailing to the walls Asking why a man so careless as him Deserved to hold even a slice of her soul in between his fingers. Not one of those whispers noted how incredible her journey Of grounding Of healing Of rising had been. The whispers never praise her for finding her worth as a woman. But rather, as if by societal instinct Mourn their most important observation that He has not lifted his head, yet.

Olivia Perez-Odess

“Cherry Red” He painted my body with his tongue and I saw colors I never knew existed. After it was over, I stared at the blinds blocking the sunlight from seeping through. I watched the smoke from his cigarette

catch the sun in its swirls as I curled my matted down ringlets around my finger wishing them straight. My eyes started to feel heavier and heavier. I listened to the sound of him sucking on his death as the ceiling fan spun round and round. It was so simple yet it was everything and as I faded closer into sleep, I argued over the feeling that was igniting within me. I think, in that moment, I fell in love.

“Brown Thick Girl” I have thick thighs that burn when they rub together I have an ass that makes it hard to find the perfect pair of jeans a stomach that implies I’m pregnant when I’m just pregnant off of burritos and arms that wobble back and forth when I wave goodbye. But the smile on my face and the sound I make when I laugh is enough to make a good guy cum but my brown skin that some people may think is too brown and the stretch marks and blemishes and self-inflicted scars that show I have been through some shit makes me look used up and bitter. But I like my body. It tells a story and that story is that I am strong and powerful and beautiful and fat and lived in. I am not a mattress for you, I am a canvas for you to paint. Don’t

become a scar, become a wrinkle made from making me smile too much. Become aconstellation on my heart. Leave an imprint that only I can see.

Viviana Mendoza

To the boys who grunt when they lift weights, The ones who add another ten pounds to the weight lifting bar in the hopes that this will make them men. To the boys who begin to reek of toxic masculinity as the sweat drips down their necks, To the boys who giggle when a girl finally builds up enough courage to enter the section of the gym that has invisible entrance requirement: this being a tiny penis and a huge ego. To the boys at the gym,

Your muscles do not make you men.

The Overlooking of Women in Poetry By: Cassidy Bessa Think back to your last English class. Maybe it was in high school, maybe it was last week. Who are the first poets you think about? Walt Whitman? W.B Yeats? T.S Eliot? Probably. Don’t you find it surprising that all of these poets we are taught so much about and consider to be ‘The Greats’ are all male? This is the point where you argue that nobody could possibly forget Sylvia Plath, the female poet who is every girl’s paragon. So, you’ve heard of one female poet, you may have even heard of Emily Dickinson or Maya Angelou. So, you think this is enough poetry by women and that women are not oppressed or silenced in the least with regards to poetry, and therefore my argument is flawed. However, how many of you have read the modern contemporary poetry of Claudia Rankine, Carolyn Forche or Natasha Trethewey? August is women’s month, and during this month, we must ALL try to appreciate how far women have come in the literary world. All of their triumphs seem to be overlooked

when Stephen King releases a new book. How about we all just take a step back and read some poetryor even a novel from the eyes of a woman?

The only way that we can get away from stereotypical gender roles is to support women in their writing and be grateful that we live in a time where woman can write freely. Back in the day, the time that none of us like to think about, women had to write under pseudonyms as it was a ‘man’s job’ to be that of an intellectual. Women have an interesting perspective in their poetry; it’s not all about childbearing as we have been taught to expect. Women have a better perspective on things regarding gender roles that we only hear in a bias way on the news. Women write about more than just their struggles - many of them write in a way and about things that would astonish you and that you would never have thought of. Poetry of all kinds, be it male of female, have depth and power. Try reading women’s poetry this month and continue to support female writers, be they famous or not.

Powerful Women in Classic Lit: The Brontë Sisters By: Hannah Kozak Women, historically, have never been at the forefront of literature. They were often thought to be less intelligent to their male counterparts and incapable of any higher level of thinking. Because of this, it is honestly a bit surprising there are a number of female writers within classical literature. Some of the most notable are the Brontë sisters.

Emily, Charlotte, and Anne Brontë published works in the mid nineteenth century. All three sisters originally wrote under pen names, with Emily as Ellis Bell, Charlotte as Currer Bell, and Anne as Acton Bell. If you are familiar with any of their works, it is most likely Emily’s Wuthering Heights and/or Charlotte’s Jane Eyre.

Wuthering Heights follows two families, the Lintons and the Earnshaws, and their desperate hatred yet longing for one another. In her writing, Emily makes a point of making most details important. From the moors between Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange to the contrast of the physical appearance of the two families, every detail matters. Emily also touches upon the important topics around socioeconomic status and love/power.

In Charlotte’s Jane Eyre, we see the protagonist, Jane Eyre, go through life working as a governess and falling in love. Jane undergoes a huge transformation throughout the novel, as we see her rise from her insecure childhood to have beaming self-confidence. Like her sister, Charlotte makes societal commentary around socioeconomic status, women empowerment, and even racism through her character Bertha Mason.

The point is this: the woman’s perspective, story, and thoughts are crucial to classical literature. Classical literature is resilient because it displays recurring thoughts and feelings far beyond its time. Where would we be if that did not include women’s ideology as well? No man during the mid eighteenth century would want to talk about female empowerment or write about love in the same manner. Similarly, the Brontë sisters’ attention to detail is impeccable and showcased that women were capable of higher thinking and excellence.

In simple terms, the Brontë sisters were trailblazers. They displayed the power of women and gave women a voice during a time where women may not have had a strong voice. If you have not read them already, I would highly recommend Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, or any other of the Brontë sisters’ works.