Lit by Design Gallery

Poems & art chosen by Sherlynn Flores Guevara previously published in Lit by Design magazine

UNFAIR FAIRYTALE by J.

How did you end up here?

You used to wrap yourself up in stories like a blanket but it was the cold you were always left with. Sweet goosebumps as he slipped the glass slipper over your tiny toes.

A perfect fit. An imagination. The real princesses across the hall laughing, doing nothing but being absolute perfection.

You saw the clear imbalances between you and them and swore to never believe you were worthy of a perfect fit again.

But we’re human and we crave.

The need and want to be the princess were sewn into you. If he was real, if he could save you from the unfairness of the world, when would he come? How longer would you have to wait?

The answer was a backstab in a hundred fleeting memories. The smirk on Jaylen G.’s face as he grabbed your ass on your way home.

Your step dad’s aggression making you fear him. The drunk guy running his hand on your 14-year-old body at Coney Island. Your father’s words as he threw everything he owned into a suitcase and left without a warning that that’d be the last of him. After every late night cry because you let yourself be swept by another boy, whether they were smart, patient or rude. After every attachment you soon realized you didn’t have whatever magic turns a beast into a prince and you never would.

Because you were certainly not a princess, just a girl.

VALUES by J.

My algebra teacher taught us that a function is a dependent relation. Each output depends on the input. Just like I depended on you. Just like we all depended on you. We were supposed to be the function family and as much as I'm happy that you have a new function, with new values, I miss our function, our family. You were so unfair to your other values as if you just forgot about them. Now because of you, our function is broken. our function values are nothing, they mean nothing, I value nothing and will remain at zero.

I doze off quite often… Obviously!

Not yet, but I’m tired.

Sleep is for the weak!!

The Lit Interview with Michael Casiano:

(Bonus question from front page)

MG: What challenges do students have now that with your experience helps you help them?

Cas: I felt as a kid at New Design that people listened to me. The challenge that I see kids face now aside from the violence that happens with guns and gangs, dealing with body dysmorphia and stressing about that stuff is never getting a chance to be heard. People don't take the time to listen. I feel like during the pandemic we all were scared, we all had experiences. For teens their outlets that were there for them to listen, got taken away. But then also they spent a lot of lonely time feeling like no one was hearing or listening. My challenge now is regaining that notion or idea for kids. There’s people that care and are listening. It's tough because some teenagers had to be parents for themselves and parents of others like you had a little sibling or you had to be that person to do the homework. I really am faced with a challenge of being that person that listens and reminds kids that you have adults that really care and we’re trying to just get you back on this track and understand what success looks and how it feels like and just doing your thing and that's the challenge. I'm in the business of making people feel good and valued not because I get paid for it but because it's what I believe.