March 16, 2022 

Editor: Mary Murphy
Artist: Yuri Chen

she is mesmerized by

the reflection of the stars across the lake

I’m fighting the urge to close my eyes, as the dock beneath me sways back and forth in a slow attempt to lull me to sleep. Above me are so many stars. More than I’ve probably ever seen before in my life. Although I know that there are more stars in the sky than grains of sand on all of the beaches here on earth, it’s an easy fact to forget because it’s a hard thing to comprehend. 

I slowly sit up and move to the end of the dock. I let my legs hang over the edge and point my toes every once in a while to feel the water, a necessary reminder that there is a whole other world beneath me, filled with extraordinary creatures. I stare straight ahead, able to see nothing except for the reflection of the night sky. 

I am taken back to memories of skinny dipping with my high school friends one night, in a different lake, also covered in stars. I am suddenly laying on the dock next to my best friend, crying over how insignificant I feel in comparison to those stars. 

I come back to the present only to realize that I have no idea how long I have been sitting on this dock, but it doesn’t matter. The stars and I are closer now because of it. 

she appreciates the beauty of 

the intricate designs on a locket

Wandering up and down the aisles of an antique store, I come across a small booth with a table covered in jewelry, most of which is still in its (possibly) original case. I see the presentation of these items as a bit of a challenge, since seeing all of the pieces will require opening all of the boxes. One by one, I look inside, until I find one that I struggle to put back down. It’s an oval-shaped pendant with a flower etched onto its surface, surrounded by vines and leaves that have been entangled together. The silver metal opens to reveal an empty space that should house  a photograph. 

I had never owned a locket before, nor had any female in my family that I know of, so I decided to begin my own tradition of passing down this locket to my daughter, if I have one someday. It somehow felt right giving this old piece of jewelry a purpose, especially since I know how it feels to think that you might not have one. 

and memorizes the quotes written on

the metallic inside of a chocolate wrapper

I frustratingly unwrap the aluminum that surrounds the next heart-shaped piece of dark chocolate destined to fall victim to my hunger. I am in one of those “it was a long day and I got a bad grade on a test and I just want to take a nap but first I want to eat chocolate” moods. However, I am careful not to rip the foil covering on the chocolate because I have found that, as cliche as the quotes inside them are, they can also be quite inspiring if you read them with the right intention. 

I suppose I see them as the equivalent of a fortune cookie, but instead of seeing into the future, I will receive advice on how to modify the present. I find some semblance of control in that, so I learn the words and I try to give them a place within my life.

she seems so ordinary that she becomes

common enough to be rare

but she will never be the star of a silver screen

I never really dreamt of being important to everyone; rather, I dreamt of being important to someone. I dreamt of loving and being loved. I dreamt of not having to hide anything or make any attempts to put on a facade. I dreamt of no longer feeling alone. I dreamt of being able to stop constantly trying to prove myself as “unique” and “worthy”. 

All humans are 99.9% identical in their genetic makeup. That’s a lot. That’s 100% if your grade school math teacher told you to round up. But in the case of mankind, it would be tragic to disregard that 0.1% that makes every person different.

instead, she lives as though she is walking

towards tulips

but they don’t notice that 

she is surrounded by perfect roses and their thorns

Every spring, Holland, Michigan hosts a flower festival, where a massive field is covered in over 5 million tulips. As I walk up and down the rows of gorgeous and vibrant flowers, I come to realize that there is a certain confidence and pure happiness with which someone walks when they are excited about something. That’s how I’m walking right now.

Unfortunately, I will not always be walking amongst thousands of tulips, but I try to pretend that I am when life gets hard. As I grow older, I begin to see through the perfect exterior of some of the people who surround me. I notice their thorns before they prick me. 

and when her appearance starts to turn to silver

she begins to sign her name in permanent ink

but it isn’t until she is nearly forgotten

that they realize

that her silver heart was always longing for a

glitter of gold 

It’s tragic, a story ending unfulfilled. So I spend my time with the people who make me happiest. I don’t hold grudges, I try to find balance between my school life and my social life. I try to learn information instead of memorizing it for the purpose of getting an “A” to just then eventually forget it. I cover my laptop in stickers that emphasize my unique interests. My laptop and iPad backgrounds host images featuring statements such as “TIME IS PRECIOUS”. It’s true.