Lit by Design 2021-2022, vol. 3, issue 1

LIT by DESIGN New Design High School’s Literary Magazine Vol. 3, No. 1 / 2021-2022

THE LIT TEAM Tehra Hamid Shazia Rahman Gia Shah Kelly Shi Ariah Swift Lexy Yanos With additional help from Ariful Ajmir and I Asia Coby

Cover art by Marlen Sosa 2

CONTENTS 2 The Lit Team 5 Orphious by Tehra Hamid 6 I’m Never Alone by Yuliza Gonzaga Veliz 8 Flowers by Zyta Mak 9 Love Is Bullshit by Mahcai Castillo 10 Values by J. 11 Flower Head by Naeemah Mozumder 12 The Correction of Oppression: My Thoughts by Savannah Simpson 14 Lonely by Mahcai Castillo 14 Art by Tamia Wilson 15 Closed Up by Melany Morales 17 Sketches by Shayleen Nunez 18 Him and Hym by Mariela Pujols 19 We Must Kill Our Wives by Marianny Solis 3

CONTENTS 21 Poem by Glorimar Pena 22 Joyfulness by Marianna Adames 23 Sparkle by Travis Dizon 24 Living a False Reality by Marianny Solis 26 Art by Shayla Hearst-Rodriguez 27 Unfair Fairytale by J. 28 The Fortune Cookie by Marianny Solis 29 Stranger by Ononna Khan 30 Sketches by Shayleen Nunez 31 I Am Not Your Perfect Muslim Daughter by Jibey Fatty 32 Sunflower by Naeemah Mozumder 33 Life by Axel Mejia 34 Contributors 35 Mission Statement 35 Acknowledgments 4

Orphious TEHRA HAMID

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I’m Never Alone YULIZA GONZAGA VELIZ

Lit by Design Contest 2nd Prize Winner!

I’m never alone. At least not anymore. I lived with my mom in a pretty big house because of her new rich boyfriend. I never got to meet him. She always hid me away when he came and usually left me in this house alone. I didn’t understand why she hid me from him. I tried to ask but she wouldn’t give me a clear answer. So I would usually be alone until she came back. We weren’t really rich until my mom got a new rich boyfriend. But even then she still wouldn’t buy me any toys to at least keep me company. I was bored in this house, being left with nothing to play with. Until one day mom came to me and told me to get dressed. “We’re going on a walk,” she said. I was excited that I was finally leaving the house.

Maybe this was an early gift for me since my 6th birthday was coming up soon. But it didn’t matter, cause I was finally getting to spend some time with my mom. I came down wearing a simple pink dress that had long sleeves and wore a purple sweater so it could match the purple socks I was wearing. And some black shoes. My mom was waiting near the entrance of the door, she wore a gray jacket with black pants. With her hair in a braid, like always. “Let’s go,” she said. I hesitated, grabbed her hand and she looked down and smiled at me, gently squeezing my hand. My house was near a forest but I have never gone through it. My mom decided to take a walk through the forest. It was so calm. The trees gently swung back 6

I’m Never Alone (continued) and forth, the sky was dark, a gray color with not the sun not in sight. Calm yet chilling. But luckily I had my mom with me, so it was okay because I was right by her side. We walked on a path, I didn’t know how long we'd been walking. This whole time my mom had been quiet. We were surrounded by big trees and everywhere I turned it was only trees. Not a house or any person in sight. I was about to ask my mom something when we suddenly stopped. “Stay here. I have to go do something at home. I'll be back in a while”. “ I can go with you,” I said. She turned and looked at me. She kneeled and with a soft smile she told me “ It’s alright, i want you to stay here. I promise I will be back as soon as I can. I want you to be here where there's fresh air instead of you being in the house all day”.

“I-'' but before I could say anything she gave me a bag. “Here’s some food and water and an extra blanket just in case”. She then hugged me and looked at me with a smile but it looked like a more guilty smile than a genuine smile. Then she got up and started walking away without saying anything. “ I love you mom. I’ll be waiting here till you come back” I said to her. She paused for a moment but didn’t say anything and just kept walking. Not before long she was out of my sight. The only company I had now were the trees and it’s noise it made while the wind passed through it. I took a seat down on the cold rocky ground, grabbed the blanket that was in the basket and covered it over me. I’ll be waiting here till she comes back.

Everything’s going to be fine besides she said it herself. She’ll come back for me. Right?

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FLOWERS Zyta Mak

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LOVE IS BULLSHIT Mahcai Castillo

Lit by Design Contest 1st Prize Winner!

Love is bullshit.

Tempting yet unnecessary.

Beautiful yet broken.

I don’t think I ever had someone love me before.

I still can’t even love myself yet the feeling of being touched and devoured seems soothing.

I wish to be the special spark in a person's eyes, the reason they wake up in the morning with a smile and although they can’t stay in bed they know they get to see me.

Love is bullshit.

It’s a bullshit feeling created for you to get happy about a person then ruined inside with betrayal and depth.

If I could be loved I’d want that love from my mother.

Pretty boy with pretty eyes will only ever let me down, yet I can’t help but want that.

Maybe, just maybe, love isn’t bullshit.

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VALUES 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.

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FLOWER HEAD Naeemah Mozumder

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THE CORRECTION OF OPPRESSION: MY THOUGHTS Savannah Simpson To be or to not to be black that is a question, In a world where colors matter instead of dreams…

That’s a real obsession, Depression of those who has suffered because they are judged by their complexion, Correction I may have mistaken this oppression, It is more than just a depression it is: INJUSTICE RACISM DISCRIMINATION A REFLECTION OF WHAT HISTORY HAS BROUGHT TO US….. chains, blood, ropes, blood, fire burns but still blood, Murdered, sacrificed? Slaves, sacrificed?

Now in the 2020s it’s all the same but different, no?

When the Black man yells: I CAN’T BREATH, STOP PLEASE MA MAAA HELPP ME, Now a Black man can’t live longer than what he was SUPPOSED to live. Now he’s 6 feet under where they WANTED him to live….

I bet y’all scared, scared everyday to live in a world y’all not accepted in…. I’m not accepted in…

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The Correction of Oppression…

(continued)

It’s funny how some of y’all can sleep at night all cozy in bed all relaxed, While they sleep with knives in hands for protection, Once again this is an oppression, We lack the protection from this oppression, We have to come as a community and make a correction, As much as we want to look back at the past, We need to remember that we must last, Miss Obama once said, “History has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own” So let’s hope we get infected by this power of courage and be filled with the hope that life has given us and cure us with the Correction of Oppression.

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LONELY Mahcai Castillo Lonely in the dark of night, hoping to be satisfied Though death shall cut you like a knife we part ways both you and I Reality flickering with my mind yet I still see your shadows at night Wishing I could disappear when all I wanted was for you to be near.

Art by Tamia Wilson 14

CLOSED UP Melany Morales I’ve been down Nothing is going my way Being played out like a clown Disgusted by the way that my life going now Not where I wanna be And distractions stay right beside me But I know for a fact that I’m making it out It’s part of the process So Ima embrace the way I’m feeling now Head up, this crown ain’t falling down I know that I frown But blue faces make me feel happier in the sense of me living more freely Jump into the ocean, I feel the waves so deeply crashing me over and causing me pain Maybe I’m going insane Maybe I'm hard to tame Like a lion I’m meant to be free So why would I be locked in a cage Government lying

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CLOSED UP by Melany Morales (continued) I’ll live on a island in peace Start a new life overseas I’m aiming real high and my past won’t drag me down Memories I wanna erase Loving myself feels like the best option So don’t be offended by change I’ll isolate myself so if you see swerving in my lane Stay out of my way cause if you crash into me There’s no warranty You ain’t getting time back So think carefully My heart I’m protecting it by any means I’m not mean Just closed up to a certain degree.

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SKETCHES

Shayleen Nunez

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HIM AND HYM Mariela Pujols

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WE MUST KILL OUR WIVES… (inspired by The Color Purple)

Marianny Solis We must kill our wives in hopes they behave.

And if they don’t we shall bury them, In graves.

It is of the utmost importance to correct their mistakes, Because if they don’t tend to their husband and kids— They are a disgrace.

Useless, unfocused, unbothered—misshaped.

Women should be seen and not heard, They should be polite but not too friendly to other men.

But men, oh we deserve to fall in love again and again.

It’s in our nature.

We are supposed to have wives, From the beginning of time, We are there to provide.

(continued) 19

We Must Kill Our Wives by Marianny Solis (continued) ‘Wives is like children. you gotta let them know who got the upper hand.’

She gets to reminisce About the cuts, the bruises, and my fist.

The blood splatter on the sheets— While I get to celebrate her obedience with bliss.

I push her down to her knees, So she sweeps the glass on the floor and weeps With her sliced up wrists and Her throbbing knees, Making it difficult for her to speak As she breathes in, her chest collapses.

Her lungs feel like tiresome masses.

Still, she tries to relax, Envisioning her leaving In hopes to distract her from the pain I inflict.

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POEM Glorimar Pena Everything starts up amazing Sooner or later Hell opens up Hitting Burning Hurting you All until they walk in Reminding you how bright the sun shines Pulling you out of the darkness that once had you trapped in its unbreakable curse.

SHATTERED Leaving you free LOVE Picking up your once broken pieces little by little sowing you back together.

PASSION Is the only thing that runs through your kneels planted sunflowers.

Blooming into beautiful scars marking your long journey Hoping that feeling could have lasted longer you look down at your scars.

Not remembering anything For all you know they were never there

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JOYFULNESS Marianna Adames

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SPARKLE Travis Dizon I don’t know what’s gotten into me But everytime I see you I get put in a trance I don’t see you often but when I do My mind scrambles to look for reasons to talk to you.

Your eyes sparkle like the sequins of a beautiful dress You remind me of the stars, so mesmerizing yet so unreachable.

The way you move with your straight and long hair, As smooth as the satin veils of a wedding gown So elegant and graceful You remind me of the stars. So mesmerizing, yet so unreachable.

Your voice, so soft and mellow Like the strings of a violin I could listen to you all day You remind me of the stars. So mesmerizing, yet so unreachable.

Even though I’ve only seen you with a mask I’m sure your smile is the reason why flowers bloom Once again, you remind me of the stars, so mesmerizing, yet so unreachable.

Sigue brillando estrella fugaz , 23

LIVING A FALSE REALITY Marianny Solis

Ignorance is blissful; Warm and pleasantry Rose-colored spectacles help me see.

In an internal discussion With oneself: Analyzation quickly leads to Realization and hurt.

Oh how I wish I could begin, high-school again.

To be coddled by my parents— And told that everything was going to be ok.

But ignorance, Or rather naivety is a coquette; Seducing me from wanting to live— In the actual world or in a fraction of reality.

One where heartbreak was never invented And suffering never existed In this perfect world: 24

Living a False Reality by Marianny Solis (continued) pain is an illusion I wonder..

How can I smile? when people are starving.

How can I laugh? when others are suffering.

They say empathy is a gift To me, it is a curse that encourages me to become one with the outside world Feeling all the feelings Of sadness, torture, humiliation Regret.

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INSPIRED BY “ATTACK ON TITAN” Shayla Hearst-Rodriguez

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UNFAIR FAIRYTALE 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.

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THE FORTUNE COOKIE Marianny Solis When I was a child, We played games Where we would fold A piece of paper into a little fortune cookie.

And it revealed The age we would get married Divorced Have kids How much I applaud our enthusiasm For the unknown The curiosity to build a future Out of nothing…

We dreamt of being older Hoping for freedom, love But now it seems like many of us are lost Lost in between who we once were And those we aspire to be.

To return to a place of such naïveté Where we can dream forever and not Loathe the agony of reality.

Because it’s harsh isn’t it?

Growing up, I mean… breaking hearts, compromising, 28

And responsibilities are anything but free…

STRANGER

Ononna Khan “Stranger in the back of the classroom.

Looking down trying to hide like a turtle getting scared and hiding in its shell Once she looks up and smiles, it feels like the warmth of the sun hitting you from the first sunrise of the new year.

She answers the questions so intelligently.”

I am not that intelligent I am just trying to get by Dependable: like an umbrella you luckily find when it's raining perfectly intact for you to use Loyal: when a knight devotes his life to his king doing anything the king orders even if good or bad I am the mirror broken into pieces that you see in the sidewalk while you are on a midnight walk I am peaceful like a newborn baby sleeping in their mother’s arm.

I looked up I saw someone new I wanted to say hello but I can't because I am the stranger sitting in the back of the classroom.

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SKETCHES

Shayleen Nunez

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I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MUSLIM DAUGHTER Jibeh Fatty

I am not your perfect Muslim daughter I will not tolerate abuse from you nor disrespect.

I will only accept love and respect.

I will not sacrifice my happiness for your pride.

I will continue to prioritize my well-being.

I am not your perfect Muslim daughter I will not be your savior nor your provider I will only contribute to what I can I will not be held accountable for responsibilities I didn’t create I will only be responsible for my own actions I am not your perfect Muslim daughter I will not tolerate the comparison of me to my peers I will live in my authentic self and explore my individuality I will not put my mental health at stake Trying to please you with falsity I am not your perfect Muslim daughter I will not be put on a pedestal, and criticized for every mistake I make because I am human.

I will be free to make mistakes and learn from them.

I am not your perfect Muslim daughter I will not be judged for the way I choose to live my life.

I will be free to make my own life decisions with guidance from my own personal life experiences.

I am not your perfect Muslim daughter I am my own person with my own views, thoughts, values, and I can make my own decisions.

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SUNFLOWER

Naeemah Mozumder

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Lit by Design Contest 3rd Prize Winner!

LIFE

Axel Mejia

Start Create character Start the end

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CONTRIBUTORS Marianna Adames (she/her): Marianna is going into 11th grade and created her drawing because she feels like a person's most joyful moments are when they are a child. It's a moment in life where they don't have to worry about any problems or be stressed.

The drawing is inspired by her love of children. She really likes playing with kids!

Mahcai Castillo (she/her): Mahcai is a rising junior. She created this poem to let out some feelings and emotions that she hopes people will try to understand and possibly relate to.

Travis Dizon: Travis is a rising senior who aspires to be someone who brightens the days of others. This past year he wrote the Facetime “Wisdom of the Day” slides. He wrote, “I love spreading kindness and positivity through the magic of words and poetry.”

Jibeh Fatty: Jibeh is a graduating senior, originally from Gambia. She is the middle of 12 siblings and loves making short films, editing, dancing, singing and being an activist.

Yuliza Gonzaga Veliz: Yuliza likes to draw and watch House, a show. What inspired her to make her story was having creative writing in English class and the word, abandon.

Tehra Hamid: Tehra is an artist looking to fill the world with her work. About “Orphious,” she writes, “I made this portrait as part of a story I’m working on where the character Orphious grew up with his mother, whose favorite story was “Orpheus and Eurydice.” He detested his name. The knowledge that his father was an aristocrat created a sense of rebellion. Living in poverty heightened that feeling. In search of money or a next meal, he would dress up in his mother's clothes and rob rich people.”

Shayla Hearst-Rodriguez: Shayla will be entering 10th grade next year. About her piece of digital art, she says, “My drawing is inspired by an Attack on Titan outfit, which is a very good anime. I recommend it, lol.”

Ononna Khan: Ononna is a rising sophomore.

J. will be entering a new grade next year. The poet wishes to remain anonymous.

Zyta Mak (she/her): Zyta created her work because she believes life is like flowers: they bloom so beautifully, and even though they will wither, they will bloom again, “just like life, in cycles.” You might experience bad things, but remember you have also experienced good things, and there are a lot of good things waiting for you in your life, so that is why she created her paper flowers.

Axel Mejia: Alex will be a senior in 2022-2023.

Melany Morales: Mel is a graduating senior who wrote “Closed Up” to show how even when a person looks like they have it all together they’re most likely going through the same as you. “We also must remember that everything is temporary,” she says, “so that feeling of being down doesn’t last forever unless you let it. I wrote this to show how it’s normal to feel bad but we gotta keep our heads up cause God’s plan is bigger than ours.”

Naeemah Mozumder: Naeemah likes taking photographs. She’ll be in the 12th grade.

Shayleen Nunez: Shayleen is a rising senior.

Glorimar Pena: Glorimar is a rising 10th grader.

Emilie Prieto: Emilie just finished her junior year at New Design.

Mariela Pujols: Mariela will be a sophomore in Fall 2022. About her artwork, she writes, “The piece is inspired by two characters in the show Banana Fish (2018). The title was inspired by the soundtrack. The Guy with the blonde hair is named Aslan Jade Callenreese (Ash Lynx) and the guy with the black hair is named Eiji Okumura. It’s about how they never got their happy ending together.

Savannah Simpson: Savannah contributed to the first edition of Lit by Design two years ago. She is a graduating senior.

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Marianny Solis: Marianny just finished her senior year at New Design and is graduating.

MISSION STATEMENT Lit by Design, founded in 2019, is an online and in-print literary magazine run and operated by the students of New Design High School. Lit by Design is dedicated to introducing teenagers to the world of writing, publishing, interviewing, reviewing, editing, and designing, whether it be on slides, websites, or magazines. We hope to entertain and inspire and enlighten readers like you with the best work submitted to us in the 2021-2022 school year by NDHS students. We thank all contributors and the many talented artists and writers who did submit work that for any of a variety of reasons could not appear in this issue.

THANK YOU! This issue of Lit by Design would not be possible without the help and support of the entire New Design staff, with a special shout-out to our ELA teachers: Brett Burns, Darren Chase, John Chiaravalloti, Tori Chirafisi, Marlene Godoy, John Istel, Laura Madera, Mike Murphy, Rachel Posner, Ranesha Singh, Caitlin Thomson AND the Design teachers: Charity Lord, Nicolle Minaya, Dave Vranich, and Julie Zenobi.

Back Cover Art: Emilie Prieto 35

LIT by DESIGN / 2021-2022

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Lit by Design is the literary magazine of New Design High School 350 Grand Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10002 / Dr. Scott Conti, Principal