The Voice 2024-2025

e c i o V e h T m r o t S e h T

l o o h c S g n i K

2024-2025

Days of gifts arrive Snow would be nice but alas - winter poem Some ice must suffice -Sagan Novesky

THE VOICE

The Literary Magazine of The Storm King School 2024-2025

© 2024-2025 All rights reserved. No works may be copied or reproduced without the express written consent of the writer or artist.

Table of Contents Cover Ren Tamagawa, Winter Train Sagan Novesky, “If Only Snow” Poets Jenny Chen, “Sun Mother Awakes The World” Adrian Yang, “The Great White Orb” Luis Gruesshaber, “Silent Reagent” Evie Tonry, “Observance” Seven Crofts, “Not So Scary Movies” Kalin Cutler, “Invisible Blood” Emmett Jaslow, “Van Gogh” Keiyona Jolly, Haikus Alice Kim, “Dream” Jayla Williams, “To When It Was Easy” Nyla Anderson, “Love is All” Milana Rivera, “Mine, and Hers” Atlas Kirrane, “Pride, be not dead” Juliana Diniz, “Identity Crisis” Andrea Lopez Moctezuma, English Translation of “No Se Adonde Van los Muertos” Eylul Bakal, “I Don’t Know” Diego Vallasciani, “My Dream is My Own” Elspeth Darhansoff, “Homeland?”

Aadya Gorti, “In The Name of God” Joe Ma, “My legacy” Liam Morrow, “Legacy” W.T., “Us, Our Friendship” Zixuan “Jessica” Ni, “The Quiet Flame Ronan Kraeutler, “Through the Window” Mahlia Murray, “Made up Place” Artists Eray Yang, Sun Mother Awakes the World Evangeline Garcia Darres, The Great White Orb, Undersea Adventure, Survivors Marquise Sampson, Silent Reagent Seven Crofts, Observance Sid White, Invisible Blood Ren Tamagawa, View from the Hill Above Town, Self-Portrait, Mechanical Whale Keiyona Jolly, Blood Moon Milana Rivera, Self-Portrait Jenny Chen, Still Life Ayako Yoshinaga, Portrait Joya Yu, My Birthday, Follow Me Jerry Cao, Historical Scene, Freedom of Thought Minchae Kang, Food Insecurity, Me and You Jiann Lee, Untitled Milo Miga, Abstracts

Faculty Advisors Dr. Alexandra Finn-Atkins, English Department Mr. John Carruthers, Art Department Ms. Megan Liggett, Art Department Ms. Sophia Grausso, English Department

Eray Yang ‘27

Sun Mother Awakes The World Jenny Chen Beneath the silence shadow, the world lay still No whispering breeze, no shimmering leaves.

Only quietness ruled the ocean and trees.

Then it was the Sun mother, A golden arc that kissed the world.

With her gentle touch of warmth, Into caves deep, on the ocean’s tide.

But chaos grew, bickering triggered.

She rose again to sooth the trife Her wisdom shone their ways, Creatures chose their ways.

Rivers ran, forest danced, As life sprout in every crevice Though night roam the skies, Her light remains, taught by her kins.

Moon and stars glimmers In the quiet womb with a soft tone And still she rises, day by day A living tale of balance spun, Beneath mother’s warmth, Eternal giver of life.

Inspired by the origin story "Sun Mother Awakes The World," one of the dreamtime stories by the Australia Aboriginals

Evangeline Garcia Darres ‘26

The Great White Orb Adrian Yang How thus, I am confused by the world‘s unreadable melody.

Looking into the mirror, two black orbs were there, embracing their fleeting owner.

And he stopped, his eyes were no longer eyeing, his lips were no longer wet, and his lungs, fell into a deep slumber and never awoke.

He ceased to exist, but was yet there.

And the dead saw the flaming one, the brightest shadow, the great white orb.

Once, the orb shined the brightest, Crowd would gather and say, “I shall not look up.” and the poet burned his eyes, “I shall not touch on.” and the clown lost her hands.

It has shone brightly as the truth, as such, the great white orb, beacon of the ego, Once, men had such pure and free, the cold breeze in their head.

Now it is unbearable and shatters the mind, bursting out and ruins the soul.

Can a skull of man contain such marvels?

The touch of cosmic, ah must be refused.

Yet still, how sweet was the forbidden fruit!

And here, a man with a mirror, two eyes and one mind, three orbs and one soul, here they are.

The hand rose, instinctive yet considerate Ah, unforgivable!. Ah, unforgettable!

Oh, a man with a soul, how inexorable!

The whiteness remained burning, as he felt his very bones shiver.

There will be no redemption, but only damnation.

Though, there, he reached the orb.

How dare he, the touch has made, leaving the dead behind with a flaming skull, a gleaming mind amid the black ashes.

And here, I write his name.

Human, it is.

Marquise Sampson ‘25

Silent Reagent Luis Gruesshaber Not like the royal tombs of Egypt which occurred more majestic from time to time They have under the sands their secret, silent reagent which will forever ever shine.

Our ominous night sky crystal clear and never ending cosmic diamonds, but also shy shine bright golden and blending.

It seems sometimes that they are asking: ”Make a wish or endow me with one” We desire that could everlasting but in the next morning, they are gone… the stars above, like pyramids of old, secret, silent reagent, in the night so cold.

Seven Crofts ‘25 Observance Evie Tonry It stays, watching Listening, stalking, always Now it knows, the cat

Not So Scary Movies Seven Crofts The screen presents its flimsy art The film struggling to maintain any scares We were reeled in by a deceptive start It almost became too much to bear.

We scoff at the amateur horror A flinch from none was reason to gloat And even though no cause to scream was in order No one reached for the remote.

Despite the stupidity of such a movie, One made by a foolish brute, There was a peculiar beauty About the solidarity that began taking root.

So we finish the subpar movie feeling light A tight-knit friendship about to take flight.

Sid White ‘25

Invisible Blood Kalin Cutler Cut teeth, Sharpened knives, Eyes in the back of their heads, Smiles in the front– Of course Their grins are too bright, Too wide, too sharp.

Behind every word, The glint of steel.

Behind every breath, A shadow moves, Behind every gesture, A quiet threat.

They dance with precision, Their steps rehearsed, But the floor is slick With invisible blood.

Cut teeth, Sharpened knives, And always, Those smiles in the front— Of course.

Ren Tamagawa ‘26

Van Gogh Emmett Jaslow Ears, Athena Tacha, 1970-1975 Day after day,

from each other.

year after year,

Starry nights melting,

I am forced to relive

falling through

my descent to madness.

again. At the end,

I hear an echo

everything cuts off.

in my ear; spiraling down, All I hear

many reflections.

Into the vortex, though I am clear. The water is murky, I see my life flash, distant apart

is regret.

Keiyona Jolly ‘26

Haikus Keiyona Jolly I fell for you like The stringy Catkins from the Tall oak trees in spring.

I fell for you like The drops of ice-cream on the Sidewalk in summer.

I fell for you like The fiery leaves fall from the Trees in cool autumn.

I fell for you like Snowflakes in the chill of the Barren cold winter.

Like our love The seasons changed too Forevermore.

Dream Alice Kim In the forgotten depths of my old memories, I gently take one out to see, Among countless pasts, in graves of feelings, A childhood dream that once seemed free.

In endless plain of brilliant green, Beneath a sky where stars would shatter, I whispered to the bright moon upon in the sky, Being someone who could help, for others to fly.

Now, I find it hard to reach.

I walk the way that others want me to be, Though I try to forget, to erase, That dream still stays inside of me.

The child I was calls me, From fields of green where once I'd roam, A voice that guides me, While I stand, now far from home.

The world has changed, and so have I, But deep inside, the dream remains, Once more it calls, in the wide plain.

Back then, I ran without a fear, And now, I look back at the past, Once more, toward that star so near, I chase the dream that holds me fast.

Original Version Written by Alice in Korean 잊혀진 나의 옛 기억 속, 나는 조심히 그 중 하나를 꺼내어본다 수 많은 기억들 속, 수 많은 감정들이 들어있는 추억의 무덤 속, 이제는 이룰 수 없을 것 같았던, 어릴 적 나의 꿈. 그 추억을 회상해본다 끝도 없을 것만 같은 푸른 초원 속에 어린 시절의 나는 저 찬란하고 별이 부서지는 밤 하얗게 빛나는 달에게 사람들에게 힘이 되어줄 수 있는 멋진 사람이 되고 싶다고 속삭인다. 이제는 나조차 감당하기 어려워, 남들이 선망해 하는 길을 걷고 있는 나. 잊으려 해도, 지우려 해도, 그 꿈은 여전히 내 안에 남아, 푸른 초원 속 어린 내가 지금도 내 마음을 부르고 있다. 세상이 변하고, 나도 달라졌지만 어느 순간, 내 마음 한편에서 그 꿈이 다시 나를 부른다. 그때의 나는 두려움 없이 달려갔고, 지금의 나는 그 길을 돌아보며, 다시 한 번, 그 별을 향해 나아간다.

Evangeline Garcia Darres ‘26

Evangeline Garcia Darres ‘26

To When It Was Easy Jayla Williams I grew up where the days were always bright, laughter loud and love felt every day mom and dads cooking, playing till it’s dark, I had great times that left a lasting mark.

Sister, We’d fight sometimes, but still stick together, Through all the storms, we made it through the weather.

I know I’m lucky, never had to fear, Just hope I keep that love and light near.

Things were easy, i wish i could go back to days with no stress, nothing that I truly lacked.

Jenny Chen ‘27

Love is All Nyla Anderson Love is all; vital like the air we breathe.

It’s the light we seek as we trudge through a damp tunnel.

Driving us mad and forcing our emotions to seethe.

Seethe and freeze, and seethe and freeze again.

Filling our bodies like the atoms of which we were made, And the blood streaming through our veins.

Yet love is a game that some never played.

It is a language not everyone can speak.

With the loud exclaims of love everywhere, the efforts of others are merely a squeak.

Fighting to find that someone who can see between the cracks.

You find yourself becoming restless trying to decipher unheard thoughts.

But all is well once again when that phone dings and you receive that text back.

So we’re reminded that love is all.

Milana Rivera ‘28

Mine, and Hers Milana Rivera I sit and pray, practice my great grandmother's faith My hair is my mother’s, grandmothers and hers too I’ve Read her stories passed down of strife and scathe Someday, soon, i’ll flock north or south I’ll see the fields and seas my parents called home Trace back to the place of my nose, my mouth I’ll take the path they didn’t take I’ll hear their lectures of what I should do But I know it, I’ll have my food and eat my cake They won’t always be there, my “biggest fans” but them I can’t be rid of, present in mind and flesh I pray again they might lift me up or lend a hand

Ren Tamagawa ‘26

Pride, be not dead Atlas Kirrane Pride, be not dead, though some have denounce thee; Audacious and haughty they cry and pray For without, man may lay another day.

Live on, dear Pride, hidden inside thou’st souls From war to peace, bubbling, like water boils; Despite displeasure, constant it flows, In the dream of doves, and the caw of crows, Angels nor sinners, the attempt to flee Is useless in the face of a defeat; As nature is fate, it cannot be beat With hope or despair, with rest or restless, Almost like a bird who is featherless, As one is lost to the cruelty of time, Pride, be not dead, I need thee to be mine

‘28 a ag n i sh o oY k a Ay

Identity Crisis Juliana Diniz A question I get asked a lot, Is where I am from Well for that you need the whole plot There shouldn't be a norm Born in Brazil, raised in Brazil In my veins Portugal blood runs America in my future, in my "will” So don’t bring out your identity crisis guns You see I am a child of the world All mixed, all tangled Even though this poem I might have curled I believe to have just in a different direction angeled

I Don’t Know Where the Dead Go No Se Adonde Van los Muertos Translation by Andrea Lopez Moctezuma Original Spanish Version by Carlos Lopez Moctezuma I caught up with my dead when they were crossing the bridge.

I had to shout for them to pay attention to me.

I had to die a little for them to recognize me.

Ren Tamagawa ‘26 I had to hide my black tie, conceal my deep sadness, change my serious face for one that says nothing happened, let's continue the party.

I already considered them dead But I could stop them in time, What would they have thought of me if I had let them go?

Almost against their will I forced them to come back.

I asked them to stay to teach me how to die.

If the dead are leaving then to whom do the wolves howl, and the coyotes in the early morning?

Who does the owl stare at almost without blinking?

To which nocturnal wanderer does the firefly lend its light?

To whom does the wind direct its whistle through the branches?

Or maybe the dead don't leave, and they live lost in oblivion, waiting for someone to call them.

With full intention, I forgot that total surrender is useless, the brutal attachment to the living body; nor forging chains with the veil so fragile of the flesh, if tomorrow we will experience the bitter taste of absences.

I don't know where others' dead go, those I didn't know, those who left, and won't return, I don't know where they go.

Mine are here.

My father in his blue velvet chair, next to the fireplace, looks at me patiently with every step I take stumbling through life.

My friend Ernesto came back to lift a burden off me.

Now I understand it wasn't too late when I learned you were leaving without saying goodbye to me; now you understand, it was better to welcome you than to say goodbye.

I don't know where the dead go, those who left and I didn't know; I don't know where they go.

Mine, I have them here.

I can touch them, talk to them, make them laugh, play cards and get drunk with them.

Everything except letting them sleep! because I know, I'm sure, that asleep, they will forget me.

Joya Yu ‘26

n Re

26 ‘ a w a ag m Ta

I Don’t Know Eylul Bakal I don't know why I love you, I don’t know why in your soul my heart gets lost.

When I look into your eyes, I get lost inside and can’t escape.

Your smile takes me away, You don’t know what I would give up just to see you smile again.

I don't know what to do.

Seeing you for even five seconds in a day makes my whole day better, You always come to my mind and never leave, I don't know what I would do if I didn't see you, I think of you when I wake up in the morning, And I think of you again before I go to bed at night, You come into my dreams, I can’t forget you and actually I don’t want to, I don't know what to do.

I know everything about you, but you don't know this, When you are sad, my soul feels your soul, I feel sad too, When you're happy, I'm happy too, I want to be closer to you but I can't, If there's one thing I know, it's that you and I are more impossible than Romeo and Juliet, I hope the impossible will not be impossible for us, Because I don't know what to do…I don't know

Original Version Written in Turkish by Eylul Bakal Seni neden sevdiğimi bilmiyorum, Kalbimin neden senin ruhunda kaybolduğunu bilmiyorum, Gözlerine bi bakınca içinde kaybolup bir daha çıkamıyorum, O gülüşün beni benden alıyor, Bir kere daha gülümsemen için nelerden vazgeçebilirim bilmiyorsun, Ne yapıcam bilmiyorum.

Seni günde beş saniye bile görmek bütün günümü güzelleştiriyor, Her zaman aklıma geliyorsun ve hiç oradan çıkmıyorsun, Seni görmesem ne yaparım bilmiyorum, Sabah kalkınca seni, akşam yatmadan önce yine seni düşünüyorum, Hatta rüyalarıma bile giriyorsun, Seni unutamıyorum ve aslında unutmakta istemiyorum, Ne yapıcam bilmiyorum.

Senin hakkında her şeyi biliyorum, ama bunu sen bilmiyorsun, Üzüldüğünde ruhum ruhunu hissediyor üzülüyorum, Mutlu olduğunda bende mutlu oluyorum, Sana daha yakın olmak istiyorum ama yapamıyorum, Bildiğim bir şey varsa o da senle ben Romeo ve Juliet’ten bile imkansızız, Umarım imkansızlar bizim için imkansız olmazlar, Çünkü ne yapıcam bilmiyorum..bilmiyorum

‘26 o Ca y r Jer

My Dream is My Own Diego Vallasciani My father's love lately hasn't been near, Chasing dreams I know he doesn't share; Not words of hope to calm my doubts or fear, Nor gentle hands to show he truly cares.

My father doesn't want to see what is in my heart, Nor understand the path I chose to take; His doubts and I never part, They weigh me down with every step I make, Pushing me to the limit, when something blocks my way.

When failures come, and I feel lost or small, I wish he cares or tries to hear me say: "My dream is my own, I will stand through it all."

Eventually I will fail and fall, But I will rise again and prove I earned it all.

Jerry Cao ‘26

Homeland?

Elspeth Darhansoff My mother is from the country of England My father is unassertive of his origin My mother was the emperor of my young land Choosing my own culture as an American has always felt like a collision In my home I share a space with Britain's ghosts My mothers mother also raised me Despite of all of this America has always been my hast Only when I began going to school, did I realize how this haunted home betrayed me I had encountered the strange voices of the outside world But, never have I ever spent this amount of time with these tongues Nonetheless, they hurled their insults at me I wanted to be among them.

In The Name of God Aadya Gorti In the name of faith, they draw their lines, Hearts once pure, now filled with anger and strife, Forgetting love, the essence of life.

Temples, mosques, and churches stand, Symbols of peace, now marked by those who fight, Who cannot see the shared humanity in you and I. Wars are waged, lives are lost, The price of conflict, an unbearable cost.

In the name of gods, they tear apart, The very fabric of the human heart.

Yet in the quiet, a whisper grows, A call for peace, a hope that love and kindness can prevail, Healing the wounds where hatred fails.

i

Minchae Kang ‘25

Jiann Lee ‘26

My legacy Joe Ma My ancestors made their home in the ancient land My blood travels through these thousand years The endless land is the trace left by their hands Civilization’s mottled fire heads near They cultivated hope on the earth with hoes Regardless of wind or rain, regardless of mud Civilization blooms on the soil of hope and grows I’ll forever carry them in my blood I will carry on their hope This is my refuge and my comfort zone This is my origin and will be where I stand America, can you please help me understand?

Legacy Liam Morrow Uncertainty is the only thing of which I can be sure Doubts burden us and lead to a journey that is arid and far Making ideas of one’s legacy difficult to spur Though searching through deeper seas makes us secure in who we are Nationality as an American can recall a thin gilt layer It almost seems as something which is false But in spite of this my country is something I still hold up as fair Though this opinion my mind still somewhat halts When sorting through the gold and dirt of our lives that clutter My family is what I hold above all the rest They who truly bring the luster that makes one’s heart flutter They who in this dirty world make life the best Legacy should founded on happy memories of which all hopefully possess For what is accomplishment without even one left to confess

Milo Miga ‘25

Us, Our Friendship W.T. I, me, myself I am something I hate Something about me Is that there’s nothing interesting about myself You, your, yourself You are someone amazing Your talent stretches wide and great Always improving yourself How I admire you, how I envy you My dear friend

The Quiet Flame Zixuan "Jessica" Ni A spark alights in hearts so true, A whisper soft, yet breaking through.

Not in riches or fleeting name, But love’s warm glow, a quiet flame.

Through storms and nights, it holds us near, A gentle voice: You’re strong, my dear.

Together bound, we rise, we stand, A thread of hope in every hand.

Minchae Kang ‘25

Through the Window Ronan Kraeutler Through the window you can almost see the winds blow.

Through that foul house of brick there’s a family having a wonderful picnic.

Through the window many wonders await but alas, you’re stuck at home with not even a blade of grass.

Through your ears you hear the sound of someone throwing a party full of laughs and cheers.

Through your mind course thoughts of sleep, however one must weep when they think about everything they can’t see, everything they can’t do.

Through your life you have made many blunders but now it’s time to see all of the wonders.

You open the door, step outside when suddenly someone shouts “Dinner!”

You didn’t even get any fresh air.

Joya Yu ‘26

Milo Miga ‘25

Made up Place Mahlia Murray What if you could go away and replay a life that ends dismay and hatred in the world that replays..

The harshest darkness gone away in replace of calmness and nothing that can harm us or mock us..

A Made up place, where your stomach feels like it’s dancing- a feeling of whispered chanting, replaying like an unfinished painting…

A feeling of an orange, bitter on the outside from replaying the past, but a realization of sour to sweet that leads to success and peace…

A Made up place, as delicate as the petals on a elegant flower, until you get to the roots that’s the element of survival..

A Made up place of an illusion, where everything is confusing until it comes to an end…

A Made up Place