THE RAP
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JV0ihf3hZB6JRkMg1LnlZyUhg3mwiNdl/view?usp=sharing
Music mixing by Thaddeus Kocher. Enjoy while you scroll!
lost in the moment
Zoe Dorf
The sun filtered softly through the lace curtains, casting delicate patterns on the wooden floor of the quiet library, where she sat curled up in the corner, a forgotten novel resting in her lap. For a long moment, she left herself drift, lost in the golden hush of the afternoon, the hum of distant traffic barely registering. Then she looked up-daydream, a pleasant dreamy thought-fluttering through like a leaf caught on a breeze. In that brief, suspended instant, she imagined a different life: one filled with warm seaside mornings, laughter echoing through streets, and handwritten letters in the post. The sharp tick of an old clock on the wall brought her gently back, but the remnants of that wistful vision clung to her like the scent of a long forgotten perfume, impossible to name but too lovely to forget.
"Florence" by Audrey Famer
The Weight of a Decade
Picture this. One decade later you see your best friend, your partner in crime. They say they want to talk to you, say there's something bad. So you go and meet them. “Oliva” She finally whispers, “I have felt this pain for a decade." A grinding sickness of guilt. “It is our fault, our fault she does not have a life of her own,” says Lilly. I felt my stomach drop. “I am sick of hiding this, I would rather be incarcerated. I feel like I am walking around with bricks, nailed to my back.” You are scared. You do not know what to say, so you just tell the truth. “If we admit to the murder of Kyra, we will go to jail forever. I have a family, and Bella, sweet Bella. I can not go to jail.” Live with the pain. Live with the pain. Later that night you hear a small knock on the door, grab your stuff and run. They're coming for you… -By Emery Long
She Remembers
By Savi Merves She remembers when she used to sing, dance, and act like she was a pop star in a movie. She remembers how the days grew quiet after her best friend, Neily, moved away in kindergarten. She remembers her uncle teaching her the messy art of slurping spaghetti.
Photo by Evan Roche-Mair
I Wanted a Giraffe
A Rice Sandwich by Sandra Cisneros Imitation Story By Jordan Montgomery OK let me tell you what happened. My mom took me to the zoo, and knowing that I was a mischievous kid and that I always use my smarts to get away with anything, she said the best thing she could think of! You have to hear what she said to me. She said, “You can get something at the gift shop.” She thought that I would be getting some kind of stuffed animal, but she thought WRONG. So you see, the zoo was also a pet store where you can buy an animal that's really cheap, like $10,000. That's only as upscale as five iPhones. I mean it's not that bad. So I said, “OMG Mom! Are you serious? Can I have your debit card while you look at the animals???!!!” So she OBVIOUSLY said yes. After she said yes I ran for my life into the store and I thought “OMGOMGOMG, I am going to get a pet giraffe!” And even better news - they were on SALE for 50% off! That's such a good deal. As soon as the guy was about to hand me the oversized bag with my new giraffe, of course my mom had to walk in. She was like, “What did you buy that is as big as a giraffe!?” Then she saw the head stick out of the bag and she screamed, “Why did you not get the lion instead? It's so much cheaper than the giraffe!” 1 day later… I guess now I am stuck with my new pet lion and a house ripped apart like a dumpster. For the entire day after we got home from the zoo, I told my mom again and again… we should have gotten the giraffe!
The Fire of Understanding
By Kaitlyn Zambrano
Tolerance isn’t just a word in a dictionary or a distance word. Tolerance is the fire that burns through hate while you give others a chance to be heard. Tolerance is about learning from your mistakes and understanding the different paths that others take.Tolerance when you offer to sit with the new student while he is passing through because you never know his point of view. It's listening to other people and their names, because were not the same. Tolerance is when we don't have to agree with every part but still have an open minded heart. We are all different and unique. One wears a hijab, one wears a cross, one speaks of gain, one speaks of loss, one finds happiness in a book while one wears a happy bold look. We don't always share the same opinion or even religion but we can work together to become a strong united world.
Anonymous I hate planes. Big containers in the sky, one gust of wind and you feel like you are falling through the clouds. Isles lined with people who need to go to a restroom that's the size of a small car. But lucky for you, they serve food. Food that tastes like you are eating metal and wood. The anxiety that builds up when you are about to land. I hate it all But, I love traveling. The smell of a new hotel room. Going to dinner fresh out of the shower with a sunburn more red than a ripe tomato. Your hair in salty curls after the ocean. Waking up early and going to a busy and bustling buffet for breakfast. The sad melancholy feeling you get when it's your last night and you know that tomorrow you have to go through the horror and the drama of the airport. I love it all
Swan poem by molly zahler
Have you ever
-Bryce Shea
Have you ever had those moments when you’re so sad But you don’t know why your sad those moments where you're saying something and your chin wrinkles and your throat is suddenly a ball of fur and your eyes start to drain like your mom wringing out a rag and all you want is a hug and the worst part is you don’t know why you don't know why Have you ever had those moments where you’re so happy But you don’t know why those moments when you just feel like smiling those moments when nothing in the world could bring you down those moments where you love everything and feel good everywhere those moments when you sing like Mariah Carrey cause why not those moments when your inside gets all fuzzy and warm and you want to skip and hop and dance and the funny part is you don’t know why Have you ever?
"Untitled" by Grantham Barnes (right)
Love Letter to my House
Dear House, Many a time, I have walked your halls, slept in your beds, touched your walls. I have climbed your trees, swung on your swings, and felt the warmth that your fireplace brings. I’ve happily walked across your floors, and swung your squeaky wooden doors. So through your memory-filled halls I’ve roamed, and learned what makes a house a home. -Warmest regards Calum Murray
Dhar Man Dinosaurs
by Zeke Rosenbaum
The Dhar Mann life lesson channel is simply ridiculous. The production value is incredible, but the script seems to have been written by a toddler. The set and videography will be immaculate, but the lesson being taught will be something like “Don’t bully kids in middle school, or your family will abandon you later in life!” With a crazy thumbnail and title that alludes to something completely unrelated. Dinosaurs, meanwhile, are simply awesome. Giant monster lizards that tear each other up in action movies. Every five year old yearns for Dino’s, and secretly, so do adults. Why else would a PG -14 movie about dinosaurs make a billion dollars at the box office. It doesn’t even matter if the plot and script are ridiculous, as long as the vfx dinosaurs look cool. Jurassic Park is laden with plot holes, yet it is considered one of the greatest films of all time (it too made a gazillion or so dollars.) I myself saw the latest Jurassic World movie 4 times. I can’t say that dinosaurs don’t deserve love, for as a 5 year old might describe, really freaking cool.
My Giagia By Nicolette Haddad My Giagia is a apron-wearing woman white as a ghost of her lingering apron. My Giagia is a big or small house woman icons in every hallway of her two homes. My Giagia is a baking and cooking woman making delicious food like the best raided restaurant. My Giagia is as sweet as her cookies I cherish her so.
"Koi Fish" by Ruby Miles
A single bead of water falls from the sky Landing on a soft, pink lotus leaf It shimmers for a while, a slight gleam But only for that moment With even a tiny impact The droplet shatters like glass Its life goes by in a mere second, but its story goes further than that So for as long as you are alive, Guard the perfect sphere of your soul; don’t surrender it to nature’s cruelty Even though you seem a tiny droplet among many, know this: you are meaning, endlessly expanding
By Emma Schmid
BELONG
By Autumn Klein
To belong is to sing your own song. With others who have a similar beat Make an orchestra, make a band, make sure for it to not be bland. Make the music with your beat don't forget to tap your feet. Don't change the lyrics to not be your own. It will make your heart feel lonely and cold.
"Abstract Forever" by Georgia Wolf
Photo above, "Abstract Forever" By Georgia Wolf
"January Moon" by Audrey Famer
it was a cold, late evening in the midst of January when he glanced up at the moon as though an old friend
it was a late evening near her as well but the air was warmer there when she glanced up at the stars towards the same sunken crater he was looking through the glass of his rusted telescope whilst she looked through the cracked pane of her windows
both had planned to leave home, come the morning after
yet something seemed different tonight this they knew in the back of their minds the two did not know it yet but the stars shone especially bright for them that night for they were watching them closely and when they trodden upon the earth by their homes, arms held high yearning to reach the horizon seeming so near to their clouded minds the two glanced at her glow from such differing angles and yet the same moon and they both knew the other was thinking of the same