The Voice: Spring vol. 2 2014-2015

The Staff of The Voice

There are books so alive that you're always afraid that while you weren't reading, the book has gone and changed, has shifted like a river; while you went on living, it went on living too, and like a river moved on and moved away. No one has stepped twice into the same river. But did anyone ever step twice into the same book?"

-Marina Tsvetaeva-

Poetry-Alica Nunez 50 Word Short Stories-Alzira Fernandes Fiction-Shi Du Art and Photography-Ruben Maury Advisors: Rowe and Finneran Cover byThao Hoang

Poetry

MORE THAN WORDS ON A PAGE

Thysson

by Cem Taviloglu

Thysson such an animal of fun in the padox under the sun.

He moves so gracefully it fills my heart with anxiety He passes by with his copper fur I see a blur When he's in the stall he can't stand up tall.

He's so slow he can't get up and go.

He's so bold he's worth his weight in gold.

I miss him so much in a lifetime there are no words left to rhyme."

Blank White Paper PR

My voice Still silent The black ink Remains Motionless Resting in My Pen On top blank white Paper

One Knee or Two

by Tae Han Lee With the first snow of the year, in front of the Eiffel Tower, the sunlight reflects the beautiful eyes of a woman shedding a tear. In front of the woman, next to a dropped umbrella, there is a man, hard to see whether he has one knee down or two.

50 Words

Short

Stories

....In the spirit of HP Lovecraft, Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe.....

Horror Stories

Revenge of Ants by

Fiona Zheng

Nightmare by

Jenny Shen

Sumptuous dinner by

Jacky Yen

Knock Knock by

Cindy Liang

The revenge of ants

by Fiona Zhang

I hate everything that flies, because things that fly are difficult to catch and make me feel insecure. I hate insects like carpenter worms, which look more disgusting than bees to me. Still I am more afraid of bees. I, being a human, cannot fly, so I cannot kill a bee as easily as I can kill a carpenter worm.

One day, I saw some ants in my room. I was not scared because ants cannot fly. I could easily kill them with my shoes. However, they would not disappear. Soon there were more and more. Even though ants do not make me sick, a huge number of them still give me goose bumps. I used pesticide and a vacuum cleaner to annihilate them and cursed them at the same time. "Stupid ants! Go to hell! You guys are so silly! Flightless idiots!"

On that same night, an ant bit me. It did not hurt. However, later on, I felt everything around me started to become bigger and bigger. Then the ant that had bitten me earlier had changed into a man and I became a little ant. He stepped on my body and then laughed at me. I was awoken by this particular vivid nightmare.

"Ok! Calm down. It's not real. This is just a dream," I told myself.

Suddenly, it looked like a thing far away; it was floating. It fell on my window. I got out of bed, went to the window and opened the curtain. I saw a balloon with a round rope, and on the balloon, was written-"I love you, my angel".

I thought it is a surprise gift from my sweetheart. I was

really happy and opened the window immediately.

The rope fell upon me and trapped my neck. I struggled to breathe. Before I lost consciousness, I saw a huge ant standing on the balloon. He mocked me saying, "See you in the hell. My angel!

You thought you were rid of me. I have wings.

Now, I can FLY!"

Sumptuous Dinner

By Jacky Yen

I woke up in darkness; I could feel that I was in a

box because there was only a limited space around me. My eyes slowly adapted to the surroundings; I could see a little square metal beside my right ankle and two blades at both sides of my head. I tried to reach that metal, but if I moved my head it would touch the blades. I realized that in order to get that little square metal, I must sacrifice cutting my face, and there was a sound inside my head kept telling me that thing is the key to make me gets rid of this creepy place. I tried my best to keep my head still so that the knives would not cut into my skin. Blood was coming out from my face and finally I reached the small metal.

It was a lighter; I struck the lighter and could see everything clearly in the box. I gasped. There was

nothing but two blades and a small camera at the top right corner of the box. Someone was watching what was happening inside the box.

Someone was watching me. By the time I saw the camera, I could feel that the box was lifted up, and suddenly there were two swords impaled into my thighs, and another two into my shoulders. My blood was leaking so rapidly that it was out of the box in a minute. I only could feel the pain and despair. I saw several people standing on the ground staring at me.

They were all dressed wealthy, and some of them were drinking something. Blood! My blood fell into a container

under the box, they poured my blood into the cup and drank it. My consciousness faded gradually while my blood almost ran out, and the last thing I saw and heard was a fat guy with a lot of golden rings on his fingers. He spoke to a man dressed like a waiter, "Be careful when you handle his body. I want to

guts intact". eat his

Nightmare

by Jenny Shen

The story began in the autumn of 2014.

I believed that everything started with a reason. In fact, I didn't dream a lot at night. However, it was strange that since that autumn, nightmares had been with me. Every time I closed my eyes, I would fall into deep dreams. I became afraid of sleeping. I was afraid of the nightmares. But people can't survive without sleeping. So I fell into a familar pattern. I was tormented.Thus I decided to look for the reason behind them.

During the day, I felt tired and looked haggard and worn. The thing that let me be aware of the difference was once I felt refreshed after waking up from my afternoon nap. When I woke up, I was always thirsty. I decided to go to living room and get some water. But when I got up, my slippers had disappeared. The slippers were not in my room. I still remembered that I put my slippers next to my bed. However I went to living room, I found that my slippers were in front of the sofa. It seemed like someone did that deliberately. I was stunned. A cold and horrible feeling moved through my entire body-from my feet and out through my heart. I lived by myself.

Who did this?

Instead of moving the slippers, I left them where they were. I went out and had a date with my friend. I forgot what happened in the afternoon. But when I came back home, I was shocked. Two cups of water were on the tea table. Initially, I thought that thieves came to my house. But after I checked the windows and doors, there was no evidence of someone having broken in. It was so strange. Then I had an idea. I would use a camera to record what happened when I slept.

The next day I watched the video. There was no difference, but

after several minutes, the screen went black. A creepy and frightening silence made me feel a cold chilling presence. When I turned my head, I saw a person without feet standing behind

me.

Knock Knock

by Cindy Li-Shin Liang

It was one afternoon, I was sitting on the couch watching television, while my nanny was in the kitchen cooking. Just when I was entertaining myself, I heard my nanny call out "Could you go out to buy the soy sauce?" I grabbed my thick jacket, and started to head out to the supermarket. The weather was nice, with the warmth from the sun light and a little wind, I walked slowly to the supermarket. I took my time wandering around the market, as well as looking for the soy sauce.

But it wasn't until I saw the sky that was getting darker that I decided to head home.

The setting sun stretched the shadow behind my back, and the wind was getting stronger and stronger. It was a really cold day I thought to my self as the wind blew in my direction, striking my face. The closer I got to my apartment building the darker it became.

Suddenly I shivered, and I looked around. I was alone.

No one was nearby. I looked forward and I saw something standing in the darkness. I took a deep breath, and told myself it was ok just keep walking forward. I took one step at a time. I saw something that looked familiar. I yelled "Nanny, is that you?" Then she walked forward in to the light. "Were you waiting for me?" I saw her nod and then I exhaled. I hurried to walk by her side. We entered the elevator, and pressed the

13th

floor. I started speaking to her, but she seems extremely quiet. I didn't think about it much. After I arrived at the door, I twisted the door knob and it was locked. I automatically knocked on the door my usual three times. My usual habit. Suddenly I heard my nanny reply."Wait a minute, I am in the

kitchen".

I looked behind me and no one was there.

Short Stories Realistic Fiction

The Ball

by Dennis Du

My name is John, a pretty average student who goes to a normal public school. The school is unlike most other public schools in a way that there are boarding students, but the teachers are very inexperienced and most students here are not hardworking. There are about two thousand people in the school, so it is a huge public school.

I live two blocks away from my school so I can walk there every morning. There is a restaurant called The Breakfast Place. It is located right across to where I live is the best place to get breakfast. It has the best cheese and ham omelet you can ever have since the chef puts his secret house sauce in it.

I am "the guy" at school, plenty of friends and moreover, I know everyone's name. Quite impressive,-just saying, I would challenge anyone to name all the students and faculty in the school and no one will succeed in doing it.

Quite lazy, all my friends and teachers know that.

Hardly ever get my work done on time and always skip classes just to hang out with my friend. However, there is one class that I never skip, economics. Well, part of the reason is that I've always dreamed of becoming an investment banker when I grow up and I have always been an expert at memorizing numbers. But this girl, Catherine, is the actual reason why I never skip this class. She is a girl who I had a crush on since last year.

She has long blonde hair, I became lovestruck at first sight. I sat next to her, she smelled like roses, roses in the spring.

Normally, I am a very outgoing guy. I become really timid

whenever I see Catherine, my heart will start to beat rapidly and I could not control myself from blushing. She always smiles at says hi when she see me. There is chatting software called first class and it is widely used by students in my school. I've added her on the program and I would chat with her online until midnight everyday. But whenever I see her, I am too nervous to talk to her in person, despite the fact that she is indeed a very outgoing and nice person.

Approaching the last three weeks of the term, economics class assigns a project for each student to do and every one will have a partner determined by a draw.

David is my best friend in the school. We were in the same kindergarten and he lives right next to me. We literally tell everything to each other. I can trust no one more than I trust him. So during lunch, he came and sat next to me, hit my shoulders and said "yo John, you wanna know Catherine better?" "of course man, you got any ideas?"

"Well, don't you have a project coming up soon?"

"Yeah, for my economics class, what about it?""I think you should change the draw to be in the same team with her."

I've been a lazy student, but I have never cheated at school. It is one thing that I never do. Well I do not care about my grades anyways, so there is no reason for me to cheat. So I came to a moment of silence and hesitation, "What if I get caught by the teacher?"

"Then you can say I did it." David said.

I am never going to say that but the encouragement from John made me think this plan seems perfect and it is going to work out well. So I change the draw and I got to become the partner of Catherine.

Mr. G, the teacher of economics, gives us time to work in class but it is certainly not enough. So I asked her to work with me in this cafĂŠ every night for about an hour. I always buy two cappuccino because that's both of ours favorite drink. I also found that she has played guitar for five years, so did I. Both of us love the same TV show on CBS every Tuesday night. Knowing that we had so many similarities, I became more confident in pursuing her.

Next day at lunch, as usual, David sits with me during lunch. "I see everything is going well with you and Catherine, huh?" said David.

"Yea dude, she is such a nice and funny person."

"well, ask her to the winter ball that is coming up.

It's next week."

I suddenly remembered that I have known that the winter ball is coming up next week and I haven't thought anything about it yet. Maybe I should ask Catherine to winter dance because our friendship is developing rapidly recently.

I made up my mind the next night when I worked with her in the café and I decided to order 99 roses for her. The next day, I wrote homecoming on the roses and even myself, was touched by the roses I bought.

So the next day I asked her to the café and just as usual, ordered two cappuccinos for both of us. I put the roses in the backyard behind the café and waited for us to finish today's work. I couldn't concentrate that night and Catherine was always asking me if I am ok. In my mind, I told myself that I already screwed up. She is probably... not going to say yes, I think, what kind of excuse will she give to reject me or is she just going to reject me straightforward?

Thinking about these questions, I could not pay any attention to the group project.

Now it's 8:30, our study session is now over and she is packing her backpack. "you can go first John, I am gonna use the restroom"

"That's fine, I will wait for you. No problem." I said nervously.

It is very dark and windy outside. I took off my jacket and gave it to Catherine. I think she might be cold.

Approaching the backyard closer and closer, my heart starts to beat faster and faster in a way that I cannot control. Is she going to say yes? What is she going to wear to the winter ball? Also I reminded myself of the nice suit that I spent all my allowance for two months on.

We reached the backyard. "Close your eyes" I said, smiling. "haha John, what ya doing?" "Just close your eyes Catherine, and open when I tell you to do so." "ok...fine."

I get 99 roses out and hold it on my hand. "now, open your eyes."

Catherine was shocked by this sudden happiness.

She covered her mouth with her hand and I could see tears in her eyes.

"Catherine, I like you, will you go to winter ball with me?"

I looked into her eyes but she didn't look back at me.

She stared at the flowers for 1 minute and asked "So...do you like me?"

"That's fine, I will wait for you. No problem." I said "yes...? for a very long time...um...actually since last

year! Um...the moment I see you I know you are the one." I was confused."Thank you so much for the flowers and all these efforts you put into this fantastic surprise. I would love to go to the winter ball with you as a friend."

As a friend...? Well, she said she will attend the winter ball with me, that is good enough.

"But...John...do you not know that...?" "that what?" I knew something is wrong. "that...I...um...like girls" I was totally blank out, everything seemed to start falling apart and I could not hear anything she said for 2 minutes. I think I sat on the ground and just stared at a piece of beef jerky thrown away by a little kid. Later when I think about it, I think she was probably apologizing and that was totally unnecessary to do.

"John, John, John...?" I was able to get my attention back to her after several minutes. I did not say anything. I had no idea on my mind or a single word I wanted to say to her. I was not angry either, because this strikes me too hard and too sudden.

Nothing much happened after this. I did not tell this to any more my friends. Obviously, I did not go to the winter ball with her. We still say hi to each other but we do not have a real talk anymore. Still popular,

Still the cool kid" I was.

.

"K" " I murmured.

Black Coffee

by Alzira Fernandes

The whir of the espresso machine and baristas asking "Would you like your receipt?" blended together with the chorus of "Radio Gaga" and surrounded my thoughts like a thick fog. I thought the surround-sound headphones my girlfriend got me for Christmas would block everything out- I guess she got them on discount. I sip the familiar bitter green tea from my to-go cup, even though I'd been sitting here for three hours. The Starbucks employees definitely consider me a regular by now- I'm here from 8pm until closing nearly every day, typing furiously at my computer. A few weeks after I began coming here, the slight brunette turned to her tattooed co-worker and whispered "I bet his name is Kevin". My name is Andrew, thank you very much.

I first took an interest in writing in the third grade. For every Wednesday, our teacher would have us write a short story about anything we wanted. Those were the highlights of my weekeveryone went through their stories quickly because they couldn't wait to hear mine. I

wrote about pirates and spaceships and anything a third grader could find enthralling (no icky love stories). The praise they gave me would be enough to last me until the next week. It had to last, because that was all I really was- the kid who wrote cool stories.

My talent followed me through high school, and then to Bard college where I graduated from with a major in the Written Arts, and then onto a job in a small off-beat publishing company called Aardvark publishers in the city.

I work full time at this unfulfilling job,

surrounding by irritating half-wits who don't know a metaphor from a simile. I work hard and earn my wage, but the work I do for my profession is nothing compared to how I feel when I'm actually writing. I write screenplays and the occasional novel- none of them published. My work had been suffering though, as of lately. It seemed six years at this dead-end job had officially taken its toll, as I was sitting at my spot by the window in Starbucks in front of a blank Word document, staring out the window at the rain falling on pedestrians.

My eyes wandered from face to face, car to taxi, street light to traffic light, until they stopped on this trio of men in fluorescent coloured ponchos, walking into my Starbucks. They formed a pyramid structure- green poncho in front, with red and blue behind him. Green was a tall, self assured alpha male, with a smug but generous grin on his face. He looked over-tired, the dark circles under his eyes could contain stars- he seemed to be the type to ask if they served organic soy milk lattes at Starbucks. Blue

and red were one of the same, side by side they giggled about the appearance of passers-by and stepped on each others toes. They seemed to be a few years younger than Green, they must have been his younger brothers.

Green approached the counter and to my surprise, ordered a "Caramel Mocha Frappuccino", as his brothers ordered a tall black French roast each.

They made their way over to the large table by the window, and hung their ponchos over their chairs, soaking wet. Red and blue sat beside each other, while Green sat across from them, sipping his Frappuccino and staring into space like a young teenage girl. Red went to put milk in his coffee and returned to his seat next to Blue, and Blue put his arm around the the top of Red's chair. Red leaned forward with a serious expression towards Green- they began talking back and forth while Blue stayed leant back with his arm still around Red. I decided I should quit stare at these bright strangers, and looked down at my blank page.

Disappointed by the view, I went to the bathroom.

When I came back, all that was left of Green was the puddle under his seat from his poncho. Red and Blue were still sat down, with even more

sullen expressions on their faces. I made the mistake of glancing too long, and Blue locked eyes with me. I looked away immediately, and quickly stepped to my seat. "He's digging himself a deeper hole" I heard Red whisper to Blue, concerned. "He's hurting his relationship and his child, it's ridiculous". I decided to glance over one last time, Blue locked eyes with me again, and Red followed. My heart jumped, and I began madly typing gibberish onto my blank page. I heard chairs being pushed out, and footsteps approached me. Red and Blue were stood over my table, their green and brown eyes respectively piercing my soul. "What are you staring at my boyfriend for?", Red snapped.

"Eaves dropping is for punks, surely you're a low life punk.", stated Blue. I sat frozenconfrontation was not my fortĂŠ. Red scoffed at my silence, and started to leave. Blue followed him, but turned to give me a wink before he stepped out. They madetheir way into the rain, interlocking fingers.

I looked down to the gibberish on my

computer: "I'm scared. I am so scared of those two over there. I never meant t-". Was I so much of a wimp? Is this what my introverted lifestyle had come to? I went to the barista and asked for a tall black French roast to go. "My name is Andrew, by the way.". Her eyes lit up in ironic excitement and wrote it on the tall cup for me. I packed my laptop and headphones in my bag, and sipped my scalding hot coffee as I stepped out of the Starbucks, leaving my green tea on the table.

Based Upon the famous poem by George Ella Lyons, the students of Storm

King School will share with you pieces of their extraordinary journey.

More than just a physical place, they will tell you about themseleves and the things that have importance in their lives in

Where I Am From

Where I Am From Jenny Shen I am from floral pillows, from toothbrushes and towels.

I am from the cozy bed, the faint smell of my mom's perfume.

I am from the large white lily in the vase.

The high pine trees stand straightly like sentries on guard duty to protect the street.

I'm from my grandma's soft rice cake and braised pork in brown sauce, from her white hair and wrinkled hands.

I'm from presbyopia and mahjong, and from a cup of hot green tea.

I'm from fairy tale and castle, and prince's warm hugs.

I 'm from Christmas, I'm from Jingle Bell and Santa.

I'm from scrambled egg with tomato and steamed rice, and every dish my mom cooked.

I'm from my younger sister's crying, all of my family celebrate her birth.

I am from the moments that bring happiness to my life.

Where I'm From By: Juan Pablo Aguero

I am from a peaceful place From "How are you?" and "How was your day?"

I am from two similar houses, tall and white Where you can see the past through pictures in every room I am from a great view of the city lights I'm from family dinners and no troubles Where Mom teaches values and Dad knows everything From a talkative Sister Where friends feel like family I'm from an oasis of chaos I'm from 2240 meters above sea level Where the city is surrounded by mountains I'm from 8 million people in the same city Where streets are full at all times I'm from landmarks in every spot of the city Where every meal gets better than the last one

I'm from Mexico City

Where I Am From By: Brรกulio Ferreira

I am from the big bible in the desk from the Pensador statue and meditating elephant totem.

I am from the yellow mansion with the beautiful exotic plants that formed the garden.

I am from the seven fluffy dogs running back and forth with a bone, doll or plate in the mouth.

The garden palm trees whose long gone leaves I remember as if they were my own.

I'm from trips to grandma house and traveling every summer.

I came from political prisoners, ministers, and military generals.

I am from going to every Sunday to have BBQ with the family and early Christmas presents.

I am from the Boogeyman and the Bagman.

I came from "keep your eyes open and trust nobody" and "Smile, though your heart is aching".

I'm from mandatory trips to church that I hated.

I'm from the land of the first philosophers, first astronomers and the first New Yorkers soon to be slaves.

I am from

Angola.

Where I am From Tzu-chieh Yen

I am from Ananas From ceramic tea set and linen

I am from the back against the hill The smell of wooden furniture I am from the flower dancing in the wind The pineapple tree Whose long gone limbs I remember As if they were my own.

I am from soy sauce smell all over the house and sweat that makes a person be strong From muscular shoulders and hard working hands I'm from Pu'er tea and peanut And from gathering under the moon

I am from work hard and every day is a new beginning And London Bridge falling down I'm from dancing around the bonfire

I'm from Taiwan and China From Spring roll and seaweed egg soup From a crushing injury A Broken leg

I am from the Still pictures of my family The four members jump up Deep in my HEART.

Where I am From By: Yvonne Lu

I am from the sweet bubbly coke.

From heavy warm blanket that smells like sunshine And big clean flashy mirror I am from the beautiful romantic Shenzhen Bay. And salty fresh relaxing air I am from the decent bright orchid The tall thick Chinese parasol Which protects my city And gives the clean air

I'amfrom the noisy Majiang And tasty brown braised meat From full closet of fashion clothes And delicious smell full in the house I'm from the warm home parties And the deep to heart conversations And from the big crowed house.

I am from the trashcan in Shatian And the sky full of the dead family as stars And sweet 80's rhythm.

I'm from the fancy red wood tea set I'm from Chinese redbud and China Hot noodles and spicy food From the soldier in the war between Japan and China Kind, tall but sick grandpa The little frame on top of my piano.

Where I Am From

By Jimmy Li

I am from blue and white porcelain From the often-broken radio and manual shift Jeep.

I am from the four-floor house Which one can hear another even at the top floor.

I am from the aromatic jasmine The Osmanthus outside of my window.

Whose long gone limbs I remember As if they were my own.

I am from greeting people on my way to bus station and making jam every year from barks and torn toilet paper I am from marked map and baskets of badminton And from the water heater working at seven in the morning I am from "Long time ago" and "Told you."

And "Arise! Arise! Arise!"

I am from hitting piano keys before dinner I am from the land flowing with milk and honey Noodles and cloth with juice prints that can never be washed off From a big bush of roses in front of the old old house Sleep in roses even with windows closed From the lion hanging on wall That was drawn by a kindergarten kid called "me".

I am from a where the mountains meet the heavens From looking up at the starry night and thinking, are you really up there?

From the green shutters that move anyway the wind blows I am from the craggy maple tree that towered over My little body like a skyscrape

I'm from I love you to the moon and back From standing with my nose against the wall for hours I am from seeking down the creeky stars at midnight to eat chocolate ice cream

I am from wondering is this all there is to life?

I'm from being oblivious to the world's evil From expectations that seem to crush me more and more everyday

I am from wondering is this all there is to life?

I'm from being oblivious to the world's evil From expectations that seem to crush me more and more everyday

I am from people just looking at me and just seeing a silly little girl I'm from never fitting in From people always losing interest in me

I am from believing the very best in everyone

Where I Am From By. June Cho I am from greenish soil where cherry blossoms are full in bloom From the aromatic diffuser and shiny mirror I am from the cozy cottage And the fresh, clear and cool wind I am from a luxuriant hydrangea, which is my family's favorite flower And from a sharp pine which makes the shade that we can stay under it I'm from modern and friendly family From my best friend mom and supportive dad I'm from simple supper and spontaneous journey And from sharing thoughts and feeling

I'm from my own life, live it my way And being generous I'm from easeful affection I'm from Seoul where my own soul comes from From hot and spicy Kimchi and red pepper paste

I am from my grandpa's passion From his independent and considerate personality

And his lasting smiling face on the photo

Where I Am From

by Rubing Bai I am from......

I am from the all-day

wifi From Sodium and laundries I am from the closet full of elegant (Shining, aromatic, smells pretty) Dresses I am from the winter The lofty pine

Jasmine

I'm from Red Envelopes and pokers From Chanel No.5 and high heels I'm from ski boards and ping pangs And from gardening all around.

I am from "no cell phones" and "change your clothes" And "Do you want to build a snowman"?

I'm from a bunch of lillies I'm from ice and the freezing cold From Sausages and bouilli From the journey of my father's bike

125 kilometers

from the countryside

Dairies from my parents are memorable Recollections In the shelves are their pieces of their lives including me.

Where am I from?

I'm from the rough track and the rocks I'm from the fierce sunshine From the fish rod and the frogs "Croak Croak "

I'm from my grandma's candy jar From the sweets and her smile Sitting by the farm before sunset Listen to grandma's fairy-tale story Watching as the sun goes down

I'm from the straw hat and sweat It's the gathering season Take a nap by the fields Catch a deep breath "HUFF~~" It's the paddy!

I am from The Soft wind and lovely street Sweet cherry with beautiful tree Broken memories That cannot be fixed

Where I Am From

By Fiona Zhang I am from shower tickets with hot white steam from warm sweet soybean milk and tasty Chinese sauerkraut I am from the snug and tiny box which I name " home" Where it smells like the traditional Chinese medicine dark, and bitter, but it heals my heart

I am from the cucumber with the dew of the morning The old cherry tree whose limbs stretch into the window of my kitchen so I can pick off the cherries without going out.

I'm from the pungent white wine when I go to market with my family every Monday early morning from my gracious grandma who always has smile on her face and my childish grandpa who often is bickering with my grandma like a child because of the little things

I am from the noisy sound of mahjong and the television which is never off and from walking on road of the riverside after dinner.

I'm from the scary story about if you are intractable, you'll be caught by Malaysia monkeys and giant monsters and first song I learned in kindergarten, The Tabby Cat I'm from a bowl of hot noodles and boiled egg in my every birthday breakfast that means lucky and health

I am from the beautiful "snow country" Mudanjiang and great China with soybean paste, weird smells and savory sour cabbage soup.

I am from the elder generation's road of how to become a soldier the huge steering wheel of my grandpa's bus and my first travels to Jingpo Lake with my family cramped in the chest which let me hide after the shower.

I'm from the bridge that connected my home and my school I'm from my lovely hometown my valued memoroies and my childhood that never turns back.

Where I am from

by Jack Wu

I am from the music of my grandpa's radio, From the porridge and the golden deep-fried dough sticks.

I am from the narrow pass of the hall way And the taste of the morning sunshine.

I am from the shadow of the pipa tree, The growing grape vine.

I am from the hotpot and the pork cabbage dumpling, From the lucky money and gifts.

I am from the morning running and the evening studyhall.

I am from the going home early or the tiger from the zoo will eat you, And the two little tigers, one without ears, one without eyes.

I am from the sweet memory of my childhood.

+Where I'm From + by: Elizabeth Pomeroy

I am from the Hudson Valley, where the mountain meets the river From the messy sheds on either side of the not so white house I am from overgrown trees and branches swaying in the wind And from the newly chopped wood made into a picket fence

I am from chasing the dog like the cat chases a mouse I am from begging someone to play a game with me And from playing chess with my family and losing From the flying pieces as I run to my room crying

I am from late night movies From popping extra buttery popcorn I am from snuggling up together and from falling asleep on the coach

I am from he tall lonely tower on a mountain overlooking the town I am from walking through the lonely forest listening to wildlife I am from the ever changing seasons

From learning about the world and from sharing the memories in my life

Where I'm From

By Alzira Fernandes

I am from my over-crowded wardrobe

from the widescreen TV and my grandfather's paintings I am from the mile-long front porch the burning of Buddhist temples' incense I am from the sunflowers in my mother's garden The pink petaled cherry tree whose spring-time blossoms make my hay-fevery father smile.

I am from grueling Thanksgiving gatherings and British comedies from Kari's high school boyfriend and the ghosts of Jessie's cigarette butts I'm from stubborn minds and smothering of emotion from speaking too soon- out of context and the awkward silences that follow.

I'm from "don't touch that" and "stop screaming" and can you pay my bills?

Bills, Bills, Bills

I am from silent car rides to Philly

I'm from the ugly swing-set in Harriman park and the fish markets of Goa sputters of roshti on the pan, bubbly gherkin based raclette From mom's time in Japan her father's sherry-filled coffee mug her mother's nebuliser and gold, hoop earrings our mile-long basement, filled with generations.

P H O T O

G R A P H Y

Different ways at looking at the world

Storm King School Courts

Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York

Rowe

The Mountain Pass

Saga County, Tibet

Liang

Index:

Aleman, Henry (p. 63, 59) Bai, Rubing (p. 63, 59, 110) Carruthers, John (p. 61) Cho, June (p. 38, 71, 74, 101, 108, 109, 118) Costello, Dennis (p. 61) Cunningham, Jenna (p. 120) Ding, Lydia (p. 4, 40, 54, 55, 68, 82, 83, 90) Du, Dennis (p. 76, 79, 83-90, 91, 129, 136) Fang, Nancy (p. 31, 36) Feffer, Paul (p. 65 Fernandes, Alzira (p. 6, 15, 16, 61, 91-97, 116) Ferreira, Braulio (p. 14, 25, 102) Francois, Zachary (p. 132, ) Freeman, Jeremy (p. 60) Garner, Sofia (p. 10, 62) Graziosi, Stacy (p. 64) Hanes, Dalibor (p. 69) Hecht, Caroline (p. 9) Heno, Harold (p. 58) Hoang, Thao (p. 29, 38) Jacobson, Kevin (p. 67, 98 Jin, Clinton (p. 32, 45) Ke, Han (p. 111 Ko, Khan (p. 51, 68, 82) Lamb-Freeman, Ava (p. 59 ) Lee, Taehan (p. 66 ) Li, Jimmy (p. 60, 106) Liang, Cindy (p. 56, 64, 79-81,) Liang, Troy (p. 115, 123, 125, 133, 134, 135, 137)

Liu, Kai (p. 7, 8) Liu, Yvonne (p. 36, 43, 44, 53, 105) Mayers, Ashira (p. 30 Maury, Ruben (p. 28, 34, 39, 42, 44, 47, 52) Morris, Ian (p. 63) Murzova, Zoia (p. 38, 46, 49, 50) Nolan, Kaitlin (p. 60) Nu単ez, Alicia (p. 21, 103) Pomeroy, Catherine (p. 72) Pomeroy, Elizabeth (p. 17, 24, 35, 115) Rojo, Juan Pablo Aguero (p. 101, Rolon, Scott (p. 19, 27, 58) Rowe, Peter (p. 22, 65, 92, 99, 100, 122) Shen, Jenny (p. 76-78, 100 Smith, Martin (p. 64) Smith, Palmer (p. 48) Song, Ryan (p. 68, 73, 82, 121, 124, 131) Sugisaka, Yae (p. 33, 37, 41) Taviloglu, Cem (p. 12) Vasquez, Tiana (p. 11, 62, 81, 117) Walker, Allegra (p. 62) Wickiser, Bridget (p. 18, 20, 26, 107) Wong (p. 96) Wu, Jack (p. 63, 114) Yang, Ming Wei (p. 7,11, 70) Yen, Jacky (p. 74-75, 104 Yoon, Allen (p. 126, 127, 128, 130) Zhang, Fiona (p. 63, 71-73, 112-113) Zhao, Zachary (p. 7,11, 58) Zheng, Jessica (p. 78)