The Muse: Spring 2023

THE MUSE

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our mission

The Muse: AMHS Student Literary Magazine is a collection of original, creative content produced by students of Archbishop Mitty. The purpose of this magazine is to support students’ creative expression, to allow students to share their words and experiences in an imaginative way, and to establish a community of artists, writers, and thinkers. By creating an outlet for student voices, The Muse hopes to foster a culture of self-expression and interconnection throughout the entire student body.

SPRING COLOR PALETTE

Our collection on 1

SEEDS

“a flowering plant's unit of reproduction, capable of developing into another such plant”

“the cause or latent beginning of a feeling, process, or condition”

an ode to the weeds Navya Tyagali ‘25

i see how my rose tinged cheeks, from which the peonies bloom, and grow, and wither— appear from beneath the earth, still brushed with the dark soot of my trodden land. i see myself within the petals, and the dust pink tint, overcast by pale tangerine—as the mother sees when the child casts his kite, beyond— the sight of my short stem.

why does the girl blush, when he cuts the stem and ties it with his roughened hands.

why is it when i wither, and wilt—the beauty of the once sunkissed petal is nothing less than a flowered memory. or— perhaps not a memory at all, for a memory can only form if the thought was cherished. but, if he cherished my stem then why must he cut it?

yet not adoration either, i wasn’t adored, quite the contrary.

the dark green of my stem reflected within his glassed beads, as the blade cut short my little life.

For Spring: Forever Uncharted

Megan Kellogg ‘26

Rebirth and rejuvenation—

Proliferating determination—

The seed that blossoms into the glorious light, With the sun that glows ever bright.

Spring comes cyclically forth, The winds that ever spurn from the north. The crow struts like a noble.

The sprouting mountains, still and immobile.

The hands of time go ahead. Spiders revealed, hanging by a thread.

As the seasons move on The horizon reveals a new dawn.

Why does Spring matter?

Why does the rain always patter?

Spring is for the light-hearted For life, forever uncharted.

The Sanctimonious Square

Kyle Lin 23’

Bread Girls

El Yang 23’

Seed

Amaia Thompson ‘25

The seed fell

Dropped into your spell

Falling and falling

Left to dwell

You control it

You overpower it

Trapped in your spell the seed doesn’t grow

Trapped in your spell the seed is slow

Trapped in your spell the seed doesn’t feel

Trapped in your spell the seed’s life isn’t real

The Seed Villanelle

Arabela Damarillo ‘24

A seed atop my rotting corpse rests in nourished soil. But we all taste dirt eventually.

My mother knew my love of flowers, And now, her sobs will shower a seed atop my rotting corpse.

The seed is where my heart should be. I rotted at 16, you see. And the seed has yet to be. But we all taste dirt eventually.

The gunman came in late September. Embedded in my chest, the bullet could have been— a seed atop my rotting corpse.

Metal seed bloomed a blood-red flower that grew throughout my chest. I knew I’d taste dirt soon. But we all taste dirt eventually.

The taste of dirt gets old real soon. I taste it every day. I never thought I’d be so jealous of a seed atop my rotting corpse. But we all taste dirt eventually.

The Dog in the Window

Ryan Barnes ‘26

Hope

Kaitlyn Altmar ‘26

Our collection on 2

SPROUTING

“to start to grow and spring up”

Fendi and Nabi

James Ahn ‘26

Guiding Light

Caitlin Molsberry ‘26

Mothers, like moons in the night, Shining with your guiding light, Shining so pure and so bright. Throughout the night and day, Even when unseen, you stay, Lighting our paths as we make our way.

Words cannot enough express

How much our lives are in your debt. The love in our hearts we hereby profess. Our protection, Our direction, Our inspiration.

Whether we’re together or apart, Your guiding light to us imparted, Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, We love you forever and always, On good days and more on sad days.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Untitled Kaitlyn Altmar ‘26

A Ray of Sunshine

Katherine Wilcox ‘25

Surrounded by Dark

I stumble over chairs and tables

Searching for Light

Which will not come

From the corner of my Eye, A single ray of Sunshine Breaks through the dark

Of my constant Day

But it is not the Light

Which I long for the most It is different

But it is much the same

Will it support me?

Will it light the way?

Not quite —but the Dark will flee

A ray of Sunshine will lighten me

Decay with Growth

Brooke Hulbert ‘25

my legs move forward and forward continuously moving for what purpose?

Misty Memories

Emma Pham ‘23

“the process of developing or maturing physically, mentally, or spiritually”

Palm Tree Drive

Yohan Mehdizadeh ‘24

Growth is a journey, Takes time and patience

But with passion, hope and faith, The bloom within will shine anew

Palm Tree Drive

Yohan Mehdizadeh ‘24

The Plant

Raaghav Chakravarthy ‘26

Inching into the garden I see

Some flowers, some bushes, the occasional tree

Swaying, solid, staying still I leave, with a leaf stuck on me.

Inching toward the clearing I see

Some deer, hummingbirds, and a bumblebee

Nestled neatly not notable

But the little leaf has slipped away.

Inching through the thicket I see A bear, a nightingale, and a monkey

Quickly cackling, casual, carefree, I spy a sapling hiding from me.

Inching fast, breaking into a run

Through many paintings from the earth above, I spring through the nightingales, bushes, and bumblebees.

Affable and appealing, altruistic and amiable

I no longer inch through the forest

For I am the tree

Burst of Happiness

Eva Sullivan ‘26 42

To Those Recovering From Trauma

Arlen Keck ‘26

To Those Recovering from Trauma,

Everyone hopes they can avoid trauma, the worst that life has to offer. Its definition varies for each person, but still equally dreadful. What's morbid is that most of us won’t have the pleasure of not being traumatized. Most of us won’t go through our lives unscathed.

However, in a sense, I think we all must go through suffering to come out the other end as better people. And it’s only through pain that we can look back and see the progress we’ve made as individuals. And I think that severity or that level of pain can be highly individualized. Sooner or later, people show which role in life they’ll serve, whether it’s for others or themselves. Every bad situation I’ve faced, whether it be brought on by myself or through fate, it’s gotten me to where I needed to be today.

Growth begins with healing from trauma. However, trauma is not a free pass to avoid suffering. It’s in that suffering and in the process that you learn the most about yourself. You learn your hate can be replaced with love, and in my experience, I gained a stronger love for the people in my life. It will never be easy, but we can at least try.

2022 was, in short, one of the hardest times of my life. For almost 365 days I wallowed in self-pity and hatred. Coming to Mitty was a new start, but the poison is still carried in my life. It would be unfair for me to say I have not hurt people, my family, or my friends. It would be false to say I’ve not hurt myself, that I have not given myself the time and the energy that I needed to grow, and that I needed to heal.

On an airplane, they tell you to put an oxygen mask on yourself before you help someone else. I think that analogy can be used to describe trauma. If you don’t take the time to heal from the events that led up to this point in your life, when you don’t take the time to process and understand what you’re going through, you can’t help anyone. In fact, in the end, you can be the reason that you and the other suffer. Traumatized people can be like a drowning victim dragging an innocent bystander down with them. I’m not saying you’re a monster for having trauma, and I’m not saying it’s your fault. What I’m saying is, this happens often. If we don’t take the time to heal, we hurt others. And I think that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’ve done it more times than I’d like to admit, and I’ve used it as an excuse. Time and time again, when I’m hurt, I put the blame on others. In that sense, I’ve inflicted the same pain on others. And while I am still a victim of my own circumstances, that doesn’t give me an excuse. And I think only this year I have learned that the hard way. I’ve lost so many people due to my own nature and toxic behaviors. The only way I managed to change was, ironically enough, by paying more attention to myself. Taking time to look at the events that led up to this moment in my life, taking time to process the good and the bad led to nights of sobbing, screaming, asking, “Why me, why did this happen?” Why did someone not come to me? And strangely enough, I let it go. I know what happened to me. Now that I realize this, it will help me for the rest of my life. I refuse to let it find me anymore. I’m letting it go. What happened is in the past, no matter how many times I relive the trauma, change has happened. I refuse to let my past trauma and the people who hurt me continue to hold up power over me and affect my everyday interactions. Those events will no longer affect my thought process and how I see myself. I have chosen to live my life and move on.

Even though I was given the harshest wake-up call, like a big slap in the face, I think I needed it. Now I’m happy that Mitty gave me a second chance. We as people have the capacity to do more than just heal from our trauma. With the right circumstances and mindset, anyone can change, using the terrible events in their life as a chance to reflect and to change for the better. And to the people that changed my life, whether you’re in it or not anymore, I thank you. And I hope to one day do the same thing you’ve done for me for someone else and change their life for the better. Your trauma isn’t your end, neither is it your beginning. It’s just the background. The main scene of the story of your life is in the present and future, which you now have control of.

Sunlight

Kori Zacher ‘23

Untitled Monosyllabic Haiku

Kori Zacher ‘23

Dew drops on a leaf

Like glass beads on bright green, a Pane that shields our lives.

Caracól

Kori Zacher ‘23

Ursa Major Jonathan Lin ‘23

Scarlet Skirmish

Erin Chung ‘23

Highway

Jonathan Lin ‘23

Waterfall - A Triolet

Kori Zacher ‘23

River rushing, running free, Cascading down the cliff’s sharp edge, The icy water splashing me. River rushing, running free, The water roaring with esprit.

I watched as I sat on my ledge: River rushing, running free, Cascading down the cliff’s sharp edge

Hole in One Raaghav

Chakravarthy ‘26

Reflection Emma Pham ‘23

Highway’s Pollock

Raaghav Chakravarthy ‘26

Dawnbreak

Alex Call ‘23

Midday Sun

Eva Sullivan ‘26

The clock strikes midnight And finally the chains break; I am born anew

Happily Ever After Alex Call ‘23

earth’s glow

Elainah Dimes ‘25

Fairytale: a haiku Kori Zacher ‘23

Petals

Katherine Wilcox ‘25

Sometimes when flowers bloom

A Single Calla Lily Xavier Lun ‘26

“the state or period of greatest beauty, freshness, or vigor”

A Burst of Sunshine

Eva Sullivan ‘26

The Blossoming Kailesh Jothikumar ‘26

Amidst the earth's rich soil and sun, A seed was planted, just begun. It waited patiently, in the ground, Unfazed by wind or rain around.

Days turned to weeks, and weeks to months, The seed grew roots, and sprouted once. It reached up high, towards the sky, Unfolding leaves, as days passed by.

The air grew warm, the sun shone bright, And in its warmth, the plant took flight. It bloomed with grace, and colors bold, Its beauty shining, to behold.

For every bloom, a new one came, Growing symphony, timeless game. And as it bloomed, it spread its seed, A new beginning, from its deed.

Blooming Flower - a Triolet

Kori Zacher ‘23

Vibrant petals caught in the sun; The flower is blooming for me. I saw it when I began to run, Vibrant petals caught in the sun. Of this flower there is only one, Spring mixed with the smell of the sea, Vibrant petals caught in the sun; The flower is blooming for me.

Spring Bloom 1

Juliana Bernal ‘25

Blissful Roses

Eva Sullivan ‘26

Petals of Sunshine

Madison Lin ‘25

Purity

Kori Zacher ‘23

Flowers in Bloom

Tatiana Gunawan ‘23

the sky speaks to me

Stephanie Ahn ‘24

it's in the clouds, the strength of a mother, as she blows the breath of life into her hues of reds and burnt oranges. like the fluffy cotton candy, with saccharine sugar stuck between teeth and hot sticky fingers to accompany.

it's in the rain, with the healthy weep of the earth. the smell of petrichor: wet concrete and the worms that squirm in delight, the squelch of wet boots, as an umbrella shields a romantic kiss.

it's in the sea of blue. the cerulean that wishes for only bubbly happy days to come, the pale blue of the boundless. the reassurance that— as i tilt my head up it will be okay.

Not Too Far

Raaghav Chakravarthy ‘26

Untitled

Eve Buckley ‘24

Caitlin Nguyen ‘26

i once was told when a spring flower blooms someone is thinking of you

pansy

daffodil

tulip

frost melts off the icy ground revealing new life on a warm spring morning

poppy

iris

daisy

spring brings forth change the new beginnings when gentle life is in everything spring flowers

Stay Gold

Arabela Damarillo ‘24

Eva Sullivan ‘26 dream of petals

Soil

Amaia Thompson ‘25

You planted me in your soil

Took away the weeds so I wouldn’t spoil

I grew and grew

All through you

Your soil was my rock

Your soil was non-stop

Your soil gave me life

Your soil is my wife

The wife to my life is your soil

The wife to my life is your soil.

Thank you for the soil

Allowing me to grow

But now I have to go

Valentine?

Amaia Thompson ‘25

i wish you roses

Bianca Lamera ‘25

Matthew Nepomuceno ‘25

Editors

(In alphabetical order)

Sophia Anderson

Jules Banucci

Eleonora Fasoli

Isabelle Garlepp

Madison Lin

Enya Liu

Chloe Lou

Anisha Maharjan

Abigail Nelson

Paige Pataky

Ria Sudhir

Gwenyth Tran

Aidan van Dalen

Maximilian Vrcelj

Katherine Wilcox

Kori Zacher

Moderator

Mr. Kevin Brazelton

Proofreader

Mrs. Janelle Kroenung

Administrator

Mr. Keith Mathews

Thanks for reading this issue of The Muse: AMHS Student Literary Magazine! Our creative ventures can have a profound impact on our understanding of the world around us. It is our sincere hope that the content within this issue has inspired you to think, write, and dream. Please be on the lookout for more issues in the future. We hope to see you again as we publish more fantastic work created by AMHS students.

– The Editors