Inkblots 2016

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Abington Friends Middle School Literary + Art Magazine

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Anna Sperger ‘21

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Editorial Staff Class of 2023 Gabriela Cohen, Lily Goldstein, Trinity Graham, Aria Gratson Willa Hollinger, Trey Jones, Camille McKenzie, Jordan Wagner Class of 2022 Juliet Moreno, Cecily Shandell, Paige West Class of 2021 Charly Avril, Maeve Callaghan, Justin Forbes Lucas Garcia-Wolf, Maddy Hill, Noa Lloyd, Emily Otto Sophie Peterson, Melanie Poppel, Ava President, Claire Robinson Class of 2020 Michael Bradley, Nayeli Quinn-Canacho Faculty Advisor Anu Holloman Cover Photograph Laura Bradley ‘21

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Table of Contents: Writing Paying Attention 7 Aria Gratson ‘23

Now I Know Meliah Van-Otoo ‘22

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Accidents Happen! Cassandra Cromar ‘23

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Dear Future Self Matt Quiñones ‘22

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Magnificent Monkeys Evan Cohen ‘23

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Fall 36-37 Paige West ‘22

Small, Vulnerable Fork Willa Hollinger ‘23

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Just be Cool Kyleigh Guttman ‘21

The Little Brown Book Gabriela Cohen ‘23

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In the Midst of Magic Camille Mackenzie ‘23

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A Bright Light, and the Unknown Sophia Mele ‘21

A Cloud and a Girl Lily Goldstein ‘23

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Rag Doll 20 Trey Jones ‘23 A Haiku Story Loren Lei ‘22

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A Mystery in Haiku Dennis Belotserkovskiy ‘22

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What is Love? Sonia Behrendt-Harrer ‘22

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How to Wrap a Heart Ally Muller ‘22

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What to Eat Clay Lewis ‘22

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I Wish Were You Were Here Melanie Poppel ‘21

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This Moment Maeve Callaghan ‘21

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Somehow, Someway Sophie Peterson ‘21

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Lies Laura Bradley ‘21

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Where I Get My Sparkle Edna Cassell ‘20

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Temper, Temper Ronan Moore ‘20

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Dear Friend Becca Pitcairn ‘20

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Table of Contents: Art + Photography Anna Sperger ‘21

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Amira Shakur ‘23

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Laura Bradley ‘21

Cover, 11, 29, 46

Paige West ‘22

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Kyleigh Guttman ‘21

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Noa Mae Lloyd ‘21

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Merrie Schorsch ‘20

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Dennis Belotserkovskiy ‘22

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Callie Gingrich ‘21

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Lucas Garcia ‘21

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Dexter Dugdale ‘20

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Nic Jacobs ‘20

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Juliet Moreno ‘22

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Amira Shakur ‘23

Paying Attention

I walked into my front yard with my red writing journal with white flowers and my reading book that had my origami lighthouse bookmark sticking out from inside of it. I’d waited and looked and looked some more, but saw nothing that caught my eye. Clouds were filling the once clear, mellow blue sky and starting to block out the vivid rays from the sun. My throat ached for cool water. I stooped. A few feet in front of me was a cardinal with deep red feathers sticking up from the top of it’s head like a crown. It had its chest puffed out and its black tipped scarlet tail pointed toward the ground. Its face had a mask of black going around its eyes and a yellow orange beak. A quiet call repeated itself like a steady beat. I watched its head slightly shake each time it cawed. I started to slowly walk back towards my house while keeping my eyes focused on the majestic bird. My foot hit a fallen twig and released a loud crack through the air. The bird swiveled its head towards me. It saw me and flew away. I focused on its red white tipped wings quickly beating and thought of its slow song. Caw, caw, caw.

Aria Gratson ‘23

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Accidents Happen! In fourth grade, our class was on a trip to the shore in Delaware, where we slept overnight. In the morning, we were at the birdwatch which was surrounded by beautiful trees and two slightly sandy paths, which lead to the beach and the rooms we were sleeping in. “What we are doing today is we are making visual paintings,” said our art teacher, named Amanda. Amanda passed out some pieces of paper taped to squares of cardboard that we made in art class, slightly wet paintbrushes, and some water too. All of us paired up with someone to share a watercolor pallet. I took my plastic bursting bright red paintbrush with crayola written in gold and dabbed it in the crystal clear water. I took the paint brush and dabbed it in red and painted a red swirl and a little light at the tippy top. I had just made a perfect lighthouse! I was painting delicately, smoothly, slowly, dancing the paint brush side to side and I lifted my head up to smell the cool breeze that was flowing through the air, than I tipped my head down and I stared in shock, for a long time, a very long time. The ocean was BROWN! I didn’t know what to do so I panicked and whispered to Isabella,“Izzy, what do I do! I painted my ocean the wrong color!!!” She just said in a relaxed voice, “Chill man! just make something over it!” So, that’s exactly what I did. I made a light green field over it. But, it needed something more. I asked Isabella and she said, “Make a puffer fish!”

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Perfect! just what I wanted, but I just needed to make more, more, more! So, I added in trees, and a big blue sky with puffy clouds, and a big fat rainbow with almost all the colors of paint in the plastic crayola bin. I had a big grin on my face, I was so happy with it, it looked PERFECT! But I think the teachers didn’t agree with me. Amanda said to me, “Cassandra, this was supposed to be a visual painting! Visual means what you see!” I was embarrassed. But in my defense I said, “But I saw it in my head!” “It’s what you see from your Eyeballs, these things,” she said while pointing at her eyeballs. “Then can I redo it?” I asked. It was already too late, we were leaving, then I heard, “You know these are being hung up right?” I was frightened. When we got back from the trip I had forgotten about it, until I saw it hanging up on the wall. I hid my face in my hands. If I can’t see it, it can’t see me! I thought. I was still proud of it, very proud. but I hid that. It was hung up on the wall for a long time, through the art show, and a lot of other things. Finally it was taken down. I took it home and put it in a frame. I was proud of my work. <3 Cassandra Cromar ‘23

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Magnificent Monkeys Last summer, my family and I went to an island called St. Kitts for a week. For a majority of that week, we were at the pool, beach, and around the hotel. About midway through the trip we went on a tour around the island. The tour was planned to be 4-5 hours and I wasn’t looking forward to it. We were going to be riding in a van, and there were a lot of seats. I sat down in the last row, slouched in my seat, and put on my headphones. We saw some cool things, but I didn’t know how cool it would be until we pulled up to a house with a ton of cages outside of it. I saw my dad, mom, and sister all get out of the car, so I took out my headphones and began to follow them. I got out to see a monkey sitting on my sister’s head! I really hoped I would get to do that too. I walked closer and the man grabbed what seemed to be a baby monkey wearing a diaper and plopped it on my head. It felt weird at first, then I sort of got used to it. I was surprised when he put the monkey on me, that its hawk-like fingers didn’t hurt at all. It felt sort of relaxing, like the monkey was falling asleep on my head. I petted its head and he freaked out. He squirmed, wiggled, and almost jumped off my head. After about 5 seconds, it seemed to relax. My mom snapped a picture with her phone and they took the monkey off my head. We began to walk back to the van when I turned around and waved slowly to the monkey. I may have been imagining it, but I swear I saw the monkey wave back. As we got in the van, I thought of the monkey. I thought about what it must be like to be kept in a cage for the majority of your life. At that very moment, I put my head back, put my headphones back on, and we continued on the tour. Evan Cohen ‘23

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Laura Bradley ‘21

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Various Artists ‘21

Small, Vulnerable Fork Small, vulnerable fork. Damaged by the great overlord, Dishwasher, who rules all cutlery. My tines bent and twisted and broken. Lies helplessly in the drawer with other survivors, endlessly awaiting death. Pulled out into the open, squinting from the brightness, I stare into the eyes of the BFG as it puts on gloves and straightens me out like a chiropractor. I know what comes next. I am put into the hands of a maniac, clutched so tightly that I strain to breathe. I am jabbed into hollow penne tubes and scraped by the the infant’s few teeth. Over and over again, until finally there is nothing left for me to puncture. This is where it really gets ugly. I am put into the overlord’s mouth with the other unfortunate victims. I brace myself. Suddenly I am practically drowning in a ocean of foamy suds, desperately gasping for breath. Huge waves bend and break my tines, painfully contorting me this way and that. I thought it was the end. Willa Hollinger ‘23

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The Little Brown Book The Little Brown Book holds poetry memories, And a little dead flower in a box. A little flower trapped in a world of poems. Turn it around, what do you see? A little letter opener, waiting, just like the flower to get out of this poetic trap. But for a different reason. He wants to slice the flower in half, so he can be in the spotlight. Will they ever get out? No one knows. Gabriela Cohen ‘23

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Paige West ‘22

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In the Midst of Magic Yellow acorn, turning brown. Crinkling, crunching, leaves and foliage Under hard, stomping footsteps. Many litter the forest floor, although some weeds brave the cold season’s start. Crimson and maroon, a rare prize in a sea of tan, brown, and wilting green. Stone rocks, glinting in sunlight. A touch of fairy dust, some mystic magic, maybe. Sprinkled over them in the minds of us believers.

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Leafy green, inchworm yellow, high up in the trees surrounding. A salmon orange, rising up, to reach the sun’s warm rays. Blotches of cool blue sky, shy and hiding. Here I stand, in the midst of it all, absorbing the beauty, and wondering, deep down, is magic real? Camille Mackenzie ‘23

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Kyleigh Guttman ‘21

A Cloud and a Girl Up there A dim light is shining It plays with my eyes “STOP CLOUD STOP” Oh no light is flickering It is getting furious Boom It is now dull and raining Lily Goldstein ‘23

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Rag Doll sew my heart with thread and needles slap me with broken glass tie me down with chains and buttons fix my eyes, so they can see the light again keep me hostage in the forest make my hands from thorns and poison give me temporary love teach me how to feel your heart bubbles rising from the ocean give me air, to breath again leave me drowning in the sea show me moonlight, show me passion show me the truth is life is a distraction? take my hands take my heart take all of my body parts you keep me alive all I need is your warm love inside my life bits and pieces blood and gore things I don’t need to make me pure Trey Jones ‘23

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Noa Mae Lloyd ‘21

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A Haiku Story An average morning Birds call, cars honk, people talk The sun rises Cars race across road Traffic light turns red to green Cars stop, people walk Clouds hover above Tall buildings underneath it Everything is fine Suddenly, a shake No one notices it Flower petals fall Another tremble Shakes some leaves off the tree A lost kite falls off An earthquake? Not yet. Cars run smooth, vases don’t tip The ocean stirs small

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The ground moves like tides, People stumble on the streets A small vase falls off A crack emerges Cars swerve, and people stumble A truck tips over People in panic Emergency siren blares Telephone poles fall Chaos emerges Fires on buildings, screams A flower of sparks Suddenly, it stops Silence washes upon them Fires still crackle Loren Lei ‘22

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A Mystery in Haiku Stories have their starts. Middles and ends are present. Then there comes the twist. This one is abstract. It is not so straight-forward. But it’s all haikus. Our tale now begins. It starts with cherry blossoms on a sunny day. A little boy looks up at the pinkish flowers. Smelling their sweet scent. His mother watches him playing under that tree. She warmly beams and laughs. One day she woke up. She couldn’t find her only child. He was not near her. He woke up confused. He looked for his lovely mother. But she was not near.

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He looked around the place. It was dark, gloomy, and strange. But he felt nothing. Suddenly the room faded and sun shined at him. He was in his room. He ran right downstairs. He hugged his mother warmly. But she was confused. She said he was here. The whole day he was all there. He understood why. Nothing weird happened. Everything was in routine. Do you think you know? Some say it was a dream. Others say the gods did it. Or did it happen? Dennis Belotserkovskiy ‘22

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Merrie Schorsch ‘20

What is Love? What Is love? Love is when you lose a tooth And are brave enough to go to school Because you will know that your friends will still love you Even though a piece of you is missing. Love is when you drop a book And you know your friend will be by your side To pick it back up. It’s when you come home to a warm meal at a family table Even though you’re not hungry. When you had a bad day, but your family comforts you Because they love you. Sonia Behrendt-Harrer ‘22

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How to Wrap a Heart You may wrap it All around, Tape it, Then put a bow. Only to give it to someone else. So they can unwrap it And it is theirs. Ally Muller ‘22

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Laura Bradley ‘21

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What to Eat What shall we eat? Nobody knows Maybe Chinese? NO We had that two days ago Then shall we settle for barbeque? But I am not in the mood for that My son suggests Mcdonald’s NO We will become as fat as pigs That will not do Maybe we could have Indian? Nobody wants Indian tonight So indecisive We should just settle for what we have For others do not get the choice Some do not even have a chance to eat at all Some do not have a home to be comfortable in Some do not have families like ours We should settle for leftovers Nothing fancy

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While we eat We think about this message Everyone eats everything on their plate Because they know Some people cannot get half of the food That we are blessed with No longer were we indecisive No longer did we argue for hours about what to eat We just hoped That others could get what we could Clay Lewis ‘22

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Dennis Belotserkovskiy ‘22

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Now I Know We played our game We enjoyed dinner at a restaurant I think we had ice cream We stayed in a hotel that night We watched TV We swam in the pool The text messages said her mother had been in the hospital for 9 months If I had known I might of let her win the game If I had known I would have gone with her to Villanova If I had known I would try to spend every minute with her If I had just known... Now I know that she is strong Now I know that I am a good friend Now I know to NEVER take anything for granted Meliah Van-Otoo ‘22

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Dear Future Self I’m not going to write “I hope we are King of the world” Because I know we won’t be. I just wish we make a difference, I hope we do something productive with our life. I hope that we use every second of our life in a good way. I hope that we get up each morning and say to ourselves, thank you... Not getting up hating ourselves. Because to hate ourselves, to hate our life, would be a waste. It would be mocking the people who didn’t wake up that morning. And as the days go by I want people to remember that guy who was so selfless, who was so helpful. I want my teachers to remember us as helpful, not a pain. Now ending this poem, I remember. I’m not asking you to do this. I am asking ME to do this . I am asking me to be this way from this time forward. Matt Quiñones ‘22

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Callie Gingrich ‘21

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Fall The light Staring me down as I Try my best to Stay confident I look and my eyes Succeed Yes, there they were Right there in the Front row Cameras recording Their target me As I stepped I fell A cloud of laughter Came from the front Why me? Why now? When I’m most vulnerable It was not fair The podium was looming and scary I gripped it tight Not willing to fall again My first word came out All weak and stuttering Like a newborn baby They looked at me

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They judged Why were they even here? Why did they care? Then a flood came Coming slow at first Then picking up speed I saw their cameras and faces It was all clear now I stood there Covered in paint Laughter filled my ears But I would not budge They won’t get me this time All the words I had to say spilled out Like a kettle bursting and spilling its contents I saw their looks Their laughter subsided I had won this time Paige West ‘22

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Just Be Cool Say Something. No wait don’t. Oh, no, DO say something. Come on! Don’t just stand there like a deer in headlights! They’ll think you’re weird! Wait, but what if they like weird? Oh please, of course they don’t! Just be cool. Ok, now actually say something. Soooo, That came out way wrong. Take it back! Take it back! Too late for that so…. Be cool! Be sick! Just chillax! Be wicked!

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Actually, scratch the wicked. It’s totes lame. Or is it? Omg! They think it’s funny! They’re actually laughing! Don’t lose the moment! Laugh with them! Flip your hair! Smile! Just be cool. Kyleigh Guttman ‘21

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A Bright Light, and the Unknown She sat in the white bed with her eyes gently closed, and her mind wandering far off. To a time when she wasn’t so sick, when she would help her mom paint, when she would laugh at the mistakes. But now the walls were covered with white, and the job was all finished. The only thing in the now empty room was the ladder and a window. She walked to the ladder, surprised she could climb it, and reached up to the window. She reached for it, feeling fine, not worried what was outside. But she found out she was going to see, what actually lay inside. A bright light, and the unknown. She stepped into the window, leaving the dull room for another world, where she would be happy and free. Sophia Mele ‘21

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I Wish You Were Here I wish you were here. I wish you were here to save me from this awfully awkward situation. I’m sitting here staring down at my phone wondering when the biscuits will be ready, and watching this new family circle around me and tell jokes I don’t understand. I’m waiting for you to walk in and talk about how much fun work was today. I’m waiting for you to pop in and sit at the head of the table where you belong. I’m waiting for you to drive me away from these people, saying the directions to my house out loud as if you are a GPS. But that will never happen. I try to remember you as much as I can. But all I remember is the fish tank at the hospital. And how the sign said you had to be thirteen to go in. And how Daddy came home and told me what happened and I burst into tears. And how the funeral director told your stories as if he was your best friend. And how she wore black and carried tissues in her designer purse. But now she wears pink and sits here sharing a fork with a man she barely knows. Eating a cake she would’ve never let herself eat, A chocolate cake that you would’ve loved. I wish you were here to see it Melanie Poppel ‘21

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Lucas Garcia ‘21

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This Moment It was summer We spent the day paddling around on our surf boards We raced to the motor boat and back We went up and down in the water as the waves crashed onto the shore The water was clear at the shoreline Thousands of shells and rocks lay beneath the water We paddled back to the motor boat and jumped of the back of it We got on our surf boards and tried to catch the small waves sent from the other boats around us We paddled to the dock and the sun began to set Brilliant pinks and oranges appeared in the sky I told myself to never forget this moment. Maeve Callaghan ‘21

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Somehow, Someway Sometimes I don’t understand how we got this lucky and we destroy it. Somehow, Someway everything happened just right and planets were created. Somehow, Someway one planet in the entire universe was just right for life. Somehow that life gained conscience. Someway that conscience became something more than just survival skills. Somehow it became safe enough for us to live. Someway we built all this. Somehow, Someway our atoms became chemicals became life became thinkers became dreamers. We made our dreams a reality, and now, Somehow, Someway we’ve decided to throw it all away. Sophie Peterson ‘21

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Dexter Dugdale ‘20

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Lies Sitting down, a chair, in the middle of nowhere. Nothing but me staring into your eyes. Reminding me of life. Perfection. But all the lies shadowing you and me. Everyone knowing nothing, except lies. Kicking me aside into the darkness, disappearing from reality. Kindness appearing. Only shattering when no one is around. Afraid. Someone walks by watching us, but not seeing the emptiness we hold. Struggling when you’re here. I realize this, while I fall deep down, shoving feelings into the roots of the earth. Hoping no one will find them. Not speaking. Just afraid. Just cause no one would believe. Just cause I’m afraid of losing a friend, that I almost had... Laura Bradley ‘21

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Where I Get My Sparkle I am a sparkly blur. I am new and confident. Yet I still look the same, I was never always confident. I remember the time when I wasn’t confident. I was stuck in a foster home and man, was it big! I was there with all my six-tuplets. Sure, there were other clothes there, but no one looked like us. Everyone that came by took one of my six-tuplets, but not me. We may all be the same with our deep sea blue, screaming green, feathery texture, and finished of with an explosion of sparkles everywhere; I was the smallest of the bunch. Why did everyone need my bigger and looser siblings? Suddenly one nice little young adult came by near the other clothes. Suddenly she looked my way and yelled something to another person. Soon she came over, gently picked me up from my cold hard rod of a bed, and lifted me up to show to the adult. I was extremely happy, and just to prove a point that I was the right dress for the girl; I made my sparkles shine brighter until they matched the brightness of all the light in the world. The young adult quickly moved to some rooms, called changing rooms. I was whisked into the room and the young adult quickly put me on. Even though I was a small size, I was free and loose on her body. When she walked around the room, for once I felt confidence. When she twirled around like a ballerina to get a good angle of it, I flowed outwards like a tutu, but soon came back to my waterfall position. It was a quick and simple process of the nice child to take me off and take me to my new home. Then I was put in a closet filled to the brim with other clothes. Usually I would feel intimidated, but I’m not. None of them were sparkly like I am. None of them had new crystals piercing into them.

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For two days, I become their unquestioned leader, because I was created in Vietnam and they know it’s an honor to be born there. Besides I looked better than all of them, I deserved to be their leader. On the third day, I was whisked out of the closet by the young girl. I carefully wrapped myself around her body, but not too much, for I am loose like a piece of string. Soon I am paired with slightly wedged shoes with crystals that match mine. Then we’re raced off to a religious ceremony and then a great party. As the music thumped loudly like the young girl’s heart, my tutu like bottom flopped up and down like a blue and green jellyfish. Sure there were some moments where some juice was spilled on me, but I didn’t have a care in the world. For I was confident, I was loved, I was noticeable. Now, I’m not so sure, because more and more of my subjects are going away. The young adult is getting older, and ever since that party I haven’t had the same sensation. Instead of confidence I have fear. Fear is the moths that are getting closer and closer. Fear is my sparkles running away from me, and when they do the finishing line is the hard death calling ground. Fear is the question that is in my mind everyday ‘Why am I sitting here alone in the dark when she picked me out of love? Then I remember she picked me, because I am perfect for her and she is perfect for me. She picked me, because I am what makes her bring out her inner sparkle. So I throw away my doubts and fear, and become confident once again and forevermore. Then I yell to outloud in the pitch black dark ‘I maybe look like a blue and green dress to you, but to the girl that picked me; she gives me the title of the blue, green, and amazingly awesome sparkle dress. That girl is where I get my sparkle. The pitch black closet became much brighter with all of my beauty. Maybe with my emerald colored happiness too. Edna Cassell ‘20

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Temper, Temper If you really knew me You would know that my temper is like shattered glass Sharp Slick Cutting things like relationships And stabbing backs as well as hearts Through soft silky skin The red rushes to the surface as it runs to my head just as fast Blinding me Making me see nothing I’m in a pool of rage and I am drowning I realize Where this rage and hate comes from And I open my eyes And the doors to my closet are broken Knuckles bruised I can’t hear anything Except for the pounding of blood traveling through my veins The heart pumping rage down my body to my toes It settles down I forget What happened Ronan Moore ‘20

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Nic Jacobs ‘20

Nic Jacobs ‘20

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Dear Friend, I know that right now you are not happy With yourself, with your life I know you feel as though you are fighting a battle you can never win That you have reached lows you didn’t know you had I know you have cried yourself to sleep more times than you can count Cursing the world, cursing your body I know that you have hated yourself and picked away at every flaw until there is hardly anything left But let me tell you something You are not the most beautiful person on the planet And you are not the most intelligent You are not perfect, no one is But you are you And that is enough It will always be enough More than enough Because beneath your scarred skin And broken heart And lost hope You are still in there And you are still fighting And you are still breathing And you are still enough And maybe you’re not perfect But neither am I And sometimes friendship hurts And sometimes love hurts And sometimes it all just hurts

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But there are things worth living for Like sunsets and stars and oceans and fires Like smiles and tears and joy and pain In the end it will all be worth it Just as you are I would choose you over mountains and rivers and deserts Over beauty and paradise and fantasies and daydreams I’d choose you over all of it Because people like you are worth fighting for Even if some things are lost along the way You are worth it all And if you ever let go I will be standing right beside you Until you have found yourself again Not because I think you are weak Not because I don’t believe in your ability to find your way out of even the darkest hole But because I love you More than stupid fights and tears and pain And I will always come back to you Because you are not someone I can stand to lose You, with all your heartbreaks and imperfections and flaws You will always be enough for me And I hope that one day You will be enough for yourself as well

Becca Pitcairn ‘20

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Juliet Moreno ‘22

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