Ally Li | (Pe)s(t)ilence, digital

The Chase

The dark clouds roll in from above, 
thundering and booming, like a restless spirit.
Ships sail across the unforgiving sea 
to escape the fate that awaits. 

Cannons ring through the air, 
and with a bang send ships into flames, 
leaving behind a trail of smoke 
to fill the stale air. 

Faster the ships try to go, 
opening their sails to catch the changing winds,
but as the stormy clouds roll in, 
the enemy gains on them. 
​
They’ve had their fun, 
playing cat and mouse. 

They say, “Surrender now, and you will be spared!” Fear
rises in the air, as their hope disappears, and with their
burning ships steering the darkening seas, little white
flags begin to fly high.

​Julia Wilson

Boomerang of Hope

I call upon my boomerang
To pull me out of despair
And fill me with fresh air.

The familiar figure,
Hurling through my failures,
Withstanding the howling wind
And the crashing waves of shame,
Striving to plant seeds that grow
Into dreams that bring
An extra smile to my day,
A leap of determination for my heart,
And a reason to believe in tomorrow.

In times of trouble and doubt,
I cast it away,
But it always returns no matter how far I throw it.

So people say I’m lucky
Since my boomerang never deserts me,
But this can be a pain itself
Because as I wait for it to come to my side,
I fear each time it will disappear from the horizon.

Joy Hwang | Pull, ​mixed media

Nevertheless,
I’ll stick to my boomerang
With feet steadfast on endurance
And be ready to catch it when it comes home.

​Ko-Eun(Christina) Lee

                 Yunhui Shim | Flowers and Butterflies, acrylic

A Bitter Rose

 The storm had sudden and convulsing motions against thy ship Her entrance into the cave placed her into a deep trance 
And out appeared a bitter red rose 
The girl who was torn and shattered 
And the dripping rain 
It fell heavily upon her pale glowing skin and overwhelmed the sea 

She was awakened by the loud roar of the sea 
Her confusion was resolved by the sight of the broken ship 
She was a princess, one that was meant to reign 
For periods to come, but in a sudden change she lost it all, struck into a trance The blinding light was shattering 
And out of the cave she rose 

Enchanting and gaudy she spotted the rose 
The memories rushed and submerged her like the sea 
And soon it would be her heart that shattered 
She rested her head upon the ship 
Her reality still held in a trance 
And the only accompanying sound was the gentle rush of rain 

She remembers when her father held an umbrella for her through the rain She remembers how her father sent her the rose 
She remembers the devastation in a trance 
The soldiers all motionless spread vast like the sea 
It was by her mother’s ship 
That she had escaped, with her reality shattered 

Her perfect world along with it was shattered 
The louder became the rain 
Although wreckage damaged the ship 
She had the one lonely and magical rose upon her 
With the sudden touch she was transported into the sea 
Fallen into a trance 

---

A sprinkle of magic here and there swayed her into a trance
The light appeared through the stained glass shattered 
With the gentle touch of her mom she was lifted by the sea
The gift blessed her with the falling rain 
All contained within the charming rose 
Treasure and necessities overflowed the ship
​
She fell out of the trance 
The sudden stop of the rain

She was her world now, though jaded and scattered
She was Princess Rose 

She was ruler of the sea 
And the ship finally sailed

Diane Zhao

Page design by Ashley Nestor