Luminary Spring 2024 Part 2

Literary Arts Magazine

Table of Contents Fiction Her Eighteenth Birthday by Heide Brazier……………… 1 Dear Stranger by A Stranger…………………………… 4 The Copper Crisis by Nawra Shaik……………………… 7 Besties by Nina…………………………………………… 17

Creative Nonfiction I Flushed My Glasses Down the Toilet

by Aaminah Ajmeri……………………………………… 22 Flight Paths and Forgotten Promises: Navigating a Father’s Absence by Brianna Kaptur…………………… 37 Faking Sick by Suha……………………………………… 41 Hate on Crescent Blvd by Aaminah Ajmeri…………… 44 Falling Over an Obstacle I Thought I Could Overcome

by Cayce Arihyelle……………………………………… 47

Creative Nonfiction Continued Niagara Falls by Amana Mariam………………………… 51 Lebron James and the Oreo by Nawra Shaik………… 59 My Lovely Kitties by Daniya…………………………… 65

Poetry I Flushed My Glasses Down the Toilet by Z………… 22 The Blank Space………………………………………… 22 When I am Old by Bella DiCosola……………………… 25 The Price of Youth by Nawra Shaik…………………… 26 Prayers Unanswered by J. Brown …………………… 29 A Future We Weave by Lily Wiedholz……………… 31 Toxic by Nina…………………………………………… 33 In the Meadow by Nina………………………………… 34 Bernedoodle by Nina…………………………………… 35

Table of Contents Art Ukraine by Sasha Drahomyretska………………………… 5 Watchful Eye by Ximena Hernandez…………………… 6 Aspen Forest by Mack Feinberg………………………… 6 Maroon Bells by Mack Feinberg………………………… 15 Heart of the City by Mack Feinberg…………………… 15 The Deep Sea by Anna Holter……………………………… 16 Decor by Anna Holter……………………………………… 23

Dyslexic View by Chloe Germain………………………… 24 Coffee Spill by Ana Marjanovic………………………………… 24

Breathe Out by Scarlet Kirmis…………………………… 27 Maslow’s Pyramide by Sasha Drahomyretska…………… 28 A World of Wonder by Anna Holter…………………… 30 Sisters by Alycia Perez…………………………………… 39 Overman by Sasha Drahomyretska……………………… 39 Jelly Fish Love by Camila Velasquez………………………… 40

Art Continued Taking Food For Granted by Fareehah Siddiqui……… 46 Quetzal by Camila Velasquez…………………………… 49 Hummingbird Love by Camila Velasquez……………… 50 Light Among the Dark by David Lian………………………… 53

Misunderstood by David Lian…………………………… 54 Pieced Together by Alycia Perez……………………… 57 Coil Pot by Olexsandr Olishkevych………………………… 58 Untitled by David Lian…………………………………… 63

Looking Through the Lens - Taking Having a Roof Over Our Heads for Granted by Fareehah Siddiqui………… 63 Valuing Time With Loved Ones by Fareehah Siddiqui…64 The Beauty of Self-Sacrifice by David Lian…………… 67 Surrounded by Happiness But Filled With Sorrow by Chloe Germain…………………………………………… 69 Love but Pain…………………………………………… 70

A Future We Weave

by Lily Wiedholz

31

A Future We Weave

Lily Wiedholz

32

Toxic

by Nina Borncamp

33

In the Meadow

by Nina Borncamp

34

Bernedoodle

by Nina Borncamp

35

I Flushed My Glasses Down the Toilet

by Aaminah Ajmeri

36

Flight Paths and Forgotten Promises: Navigating a Father's Absence

by Brianna Kaptur

37

Flight Paths and Forgotten Promises

Brianna Kaptur

38

Sisters by Alycia Perez

Overman by Sasha Drahomyretska

39

Jelly Fish Love by Camila Velásquez

40

Faking Sick

by Suha

41

Faking Sick

Suha

42

Faking Sick

43

Suha

Hate on Crescent Blvd

by Aaminah Ajmeri

44

Hate on Crescent Blvd

45

Aaminah Ajmeri

Hate on Crescent Blvd

Aaminah Ajmeri

Taking food for granted by Fareehah Siddiqui

46

Falling Over An Obstacle I Thought I Could Overcome

by Cayce Arihyelle I’m here in practice on a Saturday morning at 9:30… Am I happy to be here ?

Absolutely not, but I would rather be here putting in work to get better than not doing anything. The lights are too bright, everyone looks like zombies, and my coach is just beaming with happiness… weird. I know. Everyone has been on my heels about doing a field event and I chose to do hurdles, not knowing that it will literally be the downfall of my practice today. All the hurdlers have been practicing for about 3 weeks now and on this lovely day I chose to start. Now I've never jumped over a hurdle in my entire life and I'm honestly kinda scared because it’s not one of those breakaway hurdles that fall down when hit, to prevent you from getting hurt, it’s a real hurdle… I cannot fall over this hurdle.

I'm screaming inside right now, like literally. There is the devil and angel on my shoulder going back and forth on whether this is an stupid idea or not. I'm standing in line waiting for my turn to either make a complete fool of myself or impress everyone at the fact that I was able to jump over a hurdle my first time ever doing it. I'm in my blocks looking ahead of me at the hurdle. yes one hurdle i just have to get over one. it may not seem like a lot but this is the biggest thing of all time right now. I blast out the block running towards the hurdle and I think I'm over it until I never make it past the yellow mark on the indoor track.

Time has stopped and I look down to see me halfway in the air with one foot over me and the other behind me barely but touching the hurdle. this is absolutely going to hurt i think to myself. Am I really about to embarrass myself in front of the entire girls track team? I fall and land like a dead bug on its back. I instantly got up. I hear everyone gasping, saying OMG are you ok. I rush over to my coach. my adrenaline pumping and asking her what I did wrong. Why did I fall over that hurdle? By this point my wrist is aching and my knees feel like they’re about to collapse. I couldn't cry. I couldn't allow everyone to see me weak. So I kept on with practice, feeling the skin on my hip and both knees sticking to my black leggings, while my wrist felt stiff and swelling by the minute.

47

Falling Over An Obstacle I Thought I Could Overcome

Cayce Arihyelle

I look up at the clock and see practice is almost over. Coach tried to get me to go again but I just couldn’t. I now had a fear that I knew I needed to face and that was jumping over that hurdle. After about 5 people had gone I finally gathered the courage to walk into the blocks. I'm actually nervous about falling again. I place myself in my blocks and make eye contact with my coach… my stomach is sinking further and further as I sit here contemplating whether I’m gonna do it or not. Taking a deep breath I place my head down, raise my butt in the air, and push out my blocks. I have everything my coach told me I did wrong going through my head to make sure I do it right, so I don’t fall. I felt like I was in a scary movie and the suspense was growing by the millisecond…there was no loud boom or crashing fall, just the sound of my feet hitting the track.

I made it over, but I didn't feel accomplished. If anything I felt defeated and ready to go crawl into a cocoon and cry. I made my way to the locker room and instantly ran to my locker and grabbed my phone. I walked into the small but bright bathroom and made my way into the farthest stall. I called my mom and while it's ringing, I started bawling. I felt the beat of my heart within the agonizing pain of my wrist, side, and knee . My mom isn’t answering and I'm shaking from the tears pouring out my eyes.

I pulled my leggings down to see my right hip scraped up like I took a cheese grater and shaved my skin. it was so ugly that it made me sobb even more. finally she picked up and i couldn’t get the words out, to tell her that i had just embarrassed myself in front of everyone around me. once i did tho she told me i shouldn’t be embarrassed because i can’t expect to be great at something i’ve never done before, she asked me if anyone laughed and once i thought back they didn’t. so i shouldn't be embarrassed, if anything I should be impressed at myself for doing such a courageous thing, that most people wouldn’t because they’re afraid… the tears have dried up, but the pain has not subsided. after being at urgent care for 2 hours I’m now home Sunday evening laying in bed with a splint on my sprained wrist, reflecting on everything that has happened this weekend. Asking myself why I’d pushed myself to such limits. Why do I constantly put so much pressure on myself? I think I was moving too fast and while these girls have been training for 3 weeks it’s my first time and I’ve learned that when you fail there’s always a way to get back up and grow.

48

Quetzal by Camila Velásquez

49

Hummingbird Love by Camila Velásquez

50

Niagara Falls

by Amana Mariam

51

Niagara Falls

Amana Mariam

52

Light Among the Dark by David Lian

53

Misunderstood by David Lian

54

Teddy

Anonymous

55

Teddy

Anonymous

56

Teddy

Anonymous

Pieced Together by Alycia Perez

57

Coil Pot by Olexsandr Olishkevych

58

LeBron James and the Oreo

by Nawra Shaik

59

LeBron James and the Oreo

Nawra Shaik

60

LeBron James and the Oreo

61

Nawra Shaik

LeBron James and the Oreo

Nawra Shaik

62

Untitled by David Lian

Looking through the lens- Taking having a roof over our heads for granted by Fareehah Siddiqui

63

Valuing time with loved ones

by Fareehah Siddiqui

My Lovely Kitties

by Daniya

65

Teddy

Anonymous

66

The Beauty of Self-Sa

67

crifice by david lian

68

Surrounded by happiness but filled with sorrow

by Chloe Germain

69

Love But Pain

70

Literary Arts Magazine

END OF PART II

Special thanks to everyone who helped put Luminary together!

Julia Furukawa [Club Sponsor] ᐧ Nawra Shaik ᐧ [Creative Director AND PRODUCTION COORDINATOR] ᐧ Claire Borncamp [Editor in Chief] ᐧ Nina Borncamp [Editor in Chief] ᐧ Tina Nguyen [Art Editor] ᐧ Allison Penley [Art Editor] ᐧ Nauf Ahmad [Poetry Editor] ᐧ Lillian Svach [Poetry Editor] ᐧ Carys Stupfel [Fiction Editor] ᐧ Julia Iannicelli [Fiction Editor] ᐧ Amana Mariam [Fiction Editor] ᐧ Ava Garzaro [Fiction Editor] ᐧ Blake Noble [Creative Nonfiction Editor] ᐧ Daniya Chishty [Creative Nonfiction Editor] ᐧ Zahra Baqhari [publicity and Marketing Officer] ᐧ Aaminah Ajmeri [Publicity and Marketing Officer] ᐧ And all the Editorial Staff: Heide Brazier ᐧ Audrey J. Coe ᐧ Julia Kelly ᐧ Audrey Mills ᐧ Julia Morgan ᐧ Ama Nze ᐧ Evie Slepicka

Spring 2024