Love Goes On, Forever

It feels good to move back home.

It was the last place I saw her alive, the last place I kissed her goodbye, and the last place I would hear her say, “I love you; see you tonight.” Never did I think those words would come back to haunt me. She died that day of a heart attack.

Tonight, the fireflies came out for the first time this summer.

As I planted flowers, a grandpa and his granddaughter walked by on their way to fish at the lake.

Life goes on with or without us.

It’s good to be home.

By: SK

My Mom’s Ice Cream

Once upon a time, there was an ice cream store on the corner of my street. They were known for their unicorn ice cream. All the children in the neighborhood screamed for ice cream during summer.

My family was so poor we couldn’t afford unnecessary expenses like buying ice cream.

One day I asked my mom to buy me the famous unicorn ice cream. She said no to me; instead she proposed to make me one at home. I agreed with her and told her that I would help make it.

It turned out to be my favorite ice cream.

Summer days scream for ice cream.

By: Lumingo Lubobo

Empty Chairs

Newly empty chairs haunt Christmas dinner.

By: Mikayla Chandler

Dreams

In class, I looked at him across the room and threw a crumpled up piece of paper at him with my handwriting in it. He opened it and smiled.

I woke up.

I chased after him but once I touched his back, he disappeared.

I woke up.

I could hear his voice but he was nowhere to be found. I was in darkness.

I woke up.

Why do I keep having dreams about this boy I do not know? Is he merely a memory so strong I cannot seem to get rid of, or does it mean something more?

By: NC

Breaking Up

Betty and James were high-school sweethearts.

When Betty left for college a year before James, they promised to continue long-distance.

It went as expected. Two months of phone tag, jealous fights, and sleepless nights was enough to push them past their limit.

They broke up over the phone, at 2:00 a.m, Betty sitting in the stairwell of her dorm, James lying on his parents’ roof. A small fight started by two tired and frustrated teens escalated quickly, leaving Betty walking around campus despondently and James crying on the cold metal housetop.

Neither went to school the next day.

By: Ann Marie Dong

Growing Up

Betty and James were grown-up adults.

Now Betty was starting her senior year in college; James had just finished trade-school. It was going well. Four years of hard work, new friends, and selfish nights was enough to push them past their heartsickness.

They grew up over the years.

At 21, Betty was about to graduate college, and James had gained real-world experiences. Neither thought of the past anymore.

But, one night, Betty stumbled across an old picture. She was surprised to feel no regret, only nostalgia for the youth of 17.

And James? James had just met his future wife.

By: Ann Marie Dong

Love

Auburn and Evan giggled together, hands intertwined as they strolled down the driveway of Auburn’s family home.

Her mother, Catherine, sat, perched on the porch swing, admiring the young lovers and reminiscing on a happier time. She was happy with her husband, mostly. He was just so plain in both his appearance and personality.

Catherine couldn’t help but to catch herself thinking about her first love, Derek. She often wished she could run her fingers through his luscious red hair one last time.

By: anon.

A Rejected Proposal (I)

Outside the train window, the countryside was pitch black. Every so often, lights from a small city appeared on the Spanish countryside.

The young man stared out the window, not seeing much. Even though it was late, he couldn’t sleep.

Suddenly he noticed a young nun sitting a few seats in front of him. Her face was calm and serene, focused on a book. He looked at her and in her face he saw something familiar.

Something about her eyes.

Something he might never see again.

The box still holding a diamond ring suddenly weighed heavy in his pocket.

By: Rachel Averitt

A Rejected Proposal (II)

Maybe in another life I’m still with you.

I don’t say no. I watch you age like wine. And I don’t have any regrets.

I never have to wonder if there’s someone else I can love. I never have to wonder if anyone else can make me happy.

I don’t wonder, because I know the answer.

Just like deep down, I know it now.

By: Rachel Averitt

Freedom

“You coming back with us?” he asked me.

I looked to my left and to my right, and then I realized, I could do whatever I wanted.

By: Emma Kemp

A Terrible Costume

This year for Halloween I want to go as something I’ve never been before.

We often wear costumes of things we want to be, or things we could only imagine in our worst nightmare.

Among the sexy nurses and spooky zombies, I want to be something never before seen — carve a bright smile, match it with clown makeup, wear my best dress.

I want to shock the world and the little old ladies handing me “fun-sized” Snickers bars.

I want to take off my mask and scare the masses.

This year for Halloween I’m going to be happy.

By: Mikayla Chandler

Painting

A boy framed on the wall for public scrutiny. His father’s family tree was enough to garner attention, its roots buried deep in US history, gilded bloodline catching the eyes and envy of the American public. The man’s death made it worse — sealing him in the rigid frame of media attention.

Not to worry. He’d been painted as a poster child since his youth, accustomed to the art piece he was expected to present as one of the Kennedy heirs. So his tread is careful, his decisions heavily considered (when was the last time he made a choice with abandon?).

By: Harana

Carmelo Anthony

Five seconds on the game clock. Jeremy Lin inbounds the ball to Carmelo Anthony, who turns to face Lebron James.

“You took my family.” Carmelo moves to the left.

“You took my friends.” Carmelo moves to the right.

“You took all I ever cared about.” Two seconds on the clock. “I can’t get those back, but I’ll avenge my friends.”

Carmelo goes up; the audience is on their feet. HOODIE MELO SHOT! Lebron tries to block, but it goes over his head, straight into the basket.

Carmelo collapses, exhausted. “Shumpert… I did it. I avenged us.”

Cavs: 103, Knicks: 63.

By: BP

Spontaneous Trips

“Let’s go! Why not?” said Friend 1.

“Well, first of all it’s Tuesday afternoon and it’s a three-hour drive,” Friend 2 explained.

“But it would be so much fun. Think of the memories we can make!” Friend 3 said fervently.

All three looked at Friend 4 who still didn’t look entirely convinced.

“I’ll go if you go!” was all Friend 2 said.

Still not saying anything, but with an apprehensive look on their face, Friend 4 just stared at their food.

“We can be back by tonight! It’s only three!” Friend 1 was trying their hardest to convince them.

“YOLO!”

By: Rohit Thomas

The Terminal Train

It was 10:00 AM when Morgan realized that she was late for her flight home from a weekend of Halloween festivities. The Denver airport was calling her name as she entered her friend’s broken-down Jeep with her travel mate, Caroline.

Morgan checked her overweight bag and ran to the terminal train where “all doors closing” dinged. The doors slammed on her arm and she was separated from her travel mate.

After her near-death experience, she arrived at Gate C, but as the airplane doors closed, the trauma from the train caused her to miss her flight.

By: Caroline Gates

Mornings

Peaceful, at rest. Nestled into a downy cloud, eyes just beginning to open.

A muffled ringing sounds off in my ears.

I squint.

I fumble around the sheets and comforter, looking for the source that ended my rest.

Slamming my hand onto the ringing, I poke at the glass screen to end the noise disturbing my morning, just a few more minutes.

A few few few more minutes pass.

Finally my eyes crack open to mostly open, still unsure of whether or not I want to risk leaving my comfortable position.

Limb by limb I manage to escape the bed.

By: Ava Hiser

End of Time

On a slow Sunday morning a young boy lies on the beach with nothing but calm winds, the warmth of water, and peace.

You hear seagulls, waves crashing and swooshing from the wind. Memorable smells of aromatic sea air, salty waters, and family cookouts.

He feels the sensation of sand between his toes, dry mouth, and warmth. He reaches for water to relieve the sensation of thirst.

The boy lies there to take his time to himself.

He wakes up to see the moonlight in the distance as it reflects off the glossy waters.

Time never really has an end.

By: anon.

Life is Like Ice

A brilliant student at a prestigious medical school threw his pen across the room and angrily cleared his desk with one swing across the fine wood. He was frustrated and depleted. The student didn’t know if he could do another two years of medical school.

After realizing that he just had a mini-tantrum, he decided to get a drink at a bar.

The student stared at his cranberry vodka on the countertop.

He realized that ice eventually melts.

He began to think deeper.

He realized life is like ice: enjoy it and make the best of it before it melts.

By: anon.

The Same Sky

“Another one!” I shout, pointing at a blank space in the sky, once occupied by a shooting star.

How wondrous our sky is, to make us feel so small and insignificant. I feel microscopic sitting under the same sky, watching the same stars mapped and worshipped by billions before me.

The cold biting at my toes suddenly doesn’t feel so important anymore. “It’s overwhelming to think of how we all share the same sky. Everyone before and after us…ever.”

I look to my left to find them already looking back at me, and suddenly I’m more overwhelmed by the present.

We all share the same sky.

By: SV

No Questions Asked Please

The officer tells the adolescent, “I’m assuming you’re quiet because you know that your actions were incorrect and require consequences.”

The adolescent continues to look out the window, reminiscing on the way to the local jail.

“Do you feel cool now? Was it worth earning a few bucks just to end up locked in a cell?” says the officer. His partner chuckles softly.

The adolescent looks at the officer with pain in his eyes and replies, “I’d rather risk being locked in a jail cell than seeing my siblings starve for another day. Don’t judge someone without knowing their story.”

By: anon.

What of These Invisible Things?

How curious, these invisible things.

These invisible things mean more to us than anything we will ever truly grasp and hold. Secrets, love, gratitude.

These invisible things that only hold meaning because we allow them to. How unlike us to allow these meaningless nothings to dictate us, but how terrifying we might become if we allowed ourselves to be free of these invisible things.

Greed, guts, guilt. We boast greatness when these invisible things are the only thing between us and them.

Our complexity is difficult to brand. Are these our strength or simply weakness that we refuse to admit?

Thank goodness for these invisible things.

By: SV