Lit by Design 2021 by NDHSELA pubs

The Lit Team

KellyShi(ManagingEditor)

Kelly is a rising junior at New Design High School. She spends all of her time on school work but when she's free she likes to draw, watch anime, and sleep. She also has a major love for Pandas.

FunFact- She likes to sing!

JasmineSosa(PR/Marketing)

Jasmine is a rising junior at New Design High School. She likes to go on walks and cheer. FunFact- I am currently reading IKnowWhytheCagedBirdsSingby Maya Angelou.

ArifulAjmir(Editor)

Ariful is a rising sophomore and is usually on YouTube watching random videos. He likes to draw though he says,“I'm not good at it.” He watches anime like One Piece, Attack on Titan, and Black Clover.

FunFact-He hates hospitals and doctors because they take too long.

TravisDizon(Editor)

Travis is a -year-old rising junior at New Design High School living in New York City. He likes to write poetry, play violin, make bow ties, and loves fashion and dressing up. FunFact- He has had brain surgery!

DenisseValiente(Editor)

Denisse is a rising junior at New Design High School. She likes to draw and read. FunFact-She has a big interest in cats!

FirstSemesterEditors

Bintou Diop, Eddie Chabla, Fernanda Da Silva, Alexis Morillo, Matthew Negron, Dianey Perez Serrano

TheLitTeam

Masthead

AlexGuzman

The Fear of Death; The Hope for Life 6

FarihaChowdhury

Inspired by “Fear” by Ciaran Carson

TaliaThompson

Colorism

LylahDeJesus

Inspired by “Where Is My Self Love,” by Kiro

AngelVelascoCruz

Her

SujeilyNuñez

Around Him

CindyMacancela

Who Am I

NaeemahMozumder

Inspired by “For My Mother,” May Sarton

ZayleeHumphrey

Horror

GeneysiQuezada

It's Raining Somewhere Else...

ElizabethNazario

Inspired by “Love Comes Quietly,” Robert Creeley

MelodyColeman

Regret

TehraHamid

Oasis

TravisDizon

Firefly

ImanieVasquez

The Halls

MelodyColeman

Obstacle in Life

EddieChabla

Glizzy Gladiator

CONTENTS (continued)

BrianneAnthony Ignorance

AbigailGarcia

Therefore

SavannahSimpson

Dick and Jane

Chess Game

BrianneAnthony Reflecting

AngelinaElizabethColberg

Friday

AlexGuzman

Striped Socks

Alone at the Doctor's Ofﬁce

JesusOrtega Deceitful Love

AyahFahme

The Red Mist

LilRichard Uncontrollable Deeds

CarolinaSosa

Keep Doing What You’re Doing

ScissorHand8＜

Animal

DasiaYoung

Love the One You're With

JibehFatty

African Oxygen

JesusOrtega

Expect the Unexpected

SkylarBrown Liberosis

JoslynnFlores

Photos

BryanRivera Imperfection

DasiaYoung

The World

CONTENTS (continued)

YuricoJuarez

Little Body, Big Heart

SaraSoﬁaMonroyVargas

Photos

DenisseValiente

Flourish

GiaShah

Mystical

MaybellMartinez

Inspired by “Dreams,” Langston Hughes

NainChiriboga

The Power of One’s Voice

ElizabethNazario

Early Morning Snow

KittyLuther

The Downpour

HillaryNunez

Loneliness

HoyYanZytaMak

My Sister

fathomcoast

Stories

MaybellMartinez

Everyday

JoselynTapia-Pena

Memories

TehraHamid

Escapism

ArifulAjmir

Sky Lights

Contributors

Contributor bios

ANoteof Thanks

Alex Guzman

The Fear of Death; The Hope for Life

It's going to be my birthday soon I hope it'll be a happy one...seven I'm turning you see

And that's a whole different set of responsibility Not old enough to be an adult

But too old to be a kid

I've lived, years of my life

That brings me closer to death

Heart beating out of my chest

I hope Father Time will be kind He has no care for rights

No concept of bad or good just day and night I guess that's why we all die

So many people never reaching their full potential Youth...Life...Time is forever fleeting I hope I grasp it

If not then that's tragic

Detrimental to my state of mental I need to leave but I can't even pull a rental

I know this feeble hope can feed

But can it still support me way past , through or That's just of the ways I feel

Only things to do, that is to Live not die, I think I get it...right

But things need to prosper, that is body, soul, and mind I hope I don't lose mine

It would be pretty hard to ﬁnd

All so jumbled in a mess

I just don't want to deal with stress

You can end life but not death

I hope there is a day where the opposite can be said with all my chest I wanna live forever

Because I need way more time to enjoy my life

Heaven knows I haven't really lived I hope paradise exists

But there's not enough time to get into that or is it this I wanna live forever

Because I'm scared of reaching the end of ever

Are the things I do all for the better

Sometimes I wish there was a never

I'm scared of unsuccessful fails at failing failure

Scared of standing wrong at the tailor's

Scared of not being the best

Scared of not getting a check on my test

Scared of not getting enough rest

But most of all I'm scared of death

Fariha Chowdhury

Inspired by “Fear”, Ciaran Carson

Talia Thompson

Colorism

“You're pretty for a dark-skinned girl!”

“You're so beautiful, what are you mixed with?”

“Wow… you're so articulate.”

These are all backhanded compliments and microaggressions that dark-skinned Black women constantly hear. These comments stem from colorism. Colorism is the term describing discrimination or prejudice against people with darker skin tones and the favoritism of people with lighter skin tones, usually among people of the same ethnic or racial group. Colorism has negatively impacted beauty standards in the black community because it influences the notion that lighter skin is better.

Colorism in the Black community first began during the enslavement of African-Americans.“Enslavers typically gave preferential treatment to enslaved people with fair complexions,” affirms writer Nadra Nittle. Dark-skinned slaves were forced to work in a plantation's fields while lighter skinned slaves performed domestic tasks. Lighter-skinned slaves were favored because they were usually the product of a slave owner sexually assaulting a slave.“While enslavers didn't officially recognize their mixed-race children, they gave them privileges that dark-skinned enslaved people didn't enjoy” (Nittle). This caused enslaved people to view having lighter skin as an asset. William Wells Brown was a house slave whose father was a white plantation owner and his mother a Black slave mentions that as a house slave he received better treatment: "I was a house servant - a situation preferable to that of a field hand, as I was better fed, better clothed, and not obliged to rise at the ringing of the bell, but about half an hour after."

After slavery ended in the United States, colorism didn't disappear. In the 's, The Brown Paper Bag test was introduced to the African-American community. The

Talia Thompson Colorism (continued)

Brown Paper Bag test was used to determine if a Black person 'Passed' as being White or Black. In order to pass you had to either be the same color as the paper bag or lighter. If you passed you were still considered to be Black, but because your skin tone was lighter, you were able to have a better life than those who were darker than the paper bag. The Brown Paper Bag test was even used to determine if a person was allowed into a space or considered for hire.

Colorism has been systematically passed throughout African-American culture for generations. Colorism has implied that having lighter skin is associated with beauty and intelligence while darker skin is deemed as uneducated and undesirable. In today's society, women in the Black community with darker skin are mostly affected by colorism. Research shows that dark-skinned black women are less likely to get married than light-skinned black women. Dr. Margaret Hunter who teaches sociology at Oakland's Mills College and has studied the relationship between marriage says,“It's typical to see light-skinned Black women as representing beauty in the Black community and therefore being highly desirable for high-status spouses” (Brown). Most successful Black men marry women who are either outside of their race or Black women that pass the Brown Paper Bag test. Black men marrying dark-skinned Black women isn't something that is seen often. On social media, Black men are constantly making posts that degrade dark-skinned Black women while praising light-skinned women. In an article called 'WhatYou'reReallySayingWhenYouCallBlackWomen

Undesirable'the author, who goes by the name Bih, mentions “Black men have unraveled pages worth of detailed misogynistic explanations about why we aredeemed undesirable. We're too belligerent, too poor, too hungry (but we're golddiggers when we want a partner of a higher economic status), too ugly, too angry, too bitter, and just too much.” Unfortunately Black men are unable to recognize how wrong this is.“For Black men to acknowledge this would mean that they would have to acknowledge they

Talia Thompson Colorism (continued)

have internalized a racist/sexist bias and thus, also function as an oppressor” (Bih).

Many people will try to say that colorism doesn't exist by calling it preference. Colorism and preference are similar but there is a clear reason why they are not the same. Preference simply means that you like one option more than you like the other. For example, a person may prefer to date tall people but that doesn't mean they completely dislike short people. Colorism on the other hand includes discrimination. So when people say that they only like light-skinned women and then proceed to downgrade or demean dark-skinned Black women to justify their preference, it's no longer a preference. It's colorism and it's wrong.

In the end, colorism has negatively impacted beauty standards in the Black community because it influences the notion that lighter skin is better. That isn't true. Having lighter skin doesn't make someone more intelligent, educated, or desirable than someone of a darker complexion. No one should receive more privilege or be better liked because of their skin tone. As a community we shouldn't allow European beauty standards to divide us and influence what we consider to be beautiful. All shades of melanin are beautiful.

WorksCited

Bih.“What You're Really Saying When You Call Black Women Undesirable.”Medium, August , https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/what-youre-really-saying-when-you-call-b lack-women-undesirable-bdcfc f c . Accessed May . Brown, Ann.“Dark-Skinned Black Women In The US Marry Less Than Others. Is Colorism To Blame?”Moguldom, May , https://moguldom.com/ /dark-skinned-black-women-in-the-us-marry-less-t han-others-is-colorism-to-blame/l. Accessed May, . Nittle, Nadra.“The Roots of Colorism, or Skin Tone Discrimination.”Thoughtco, February , https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-colorism- . Accessed May . / https://spartacus-educational.com/USASbrownW.htm. Accessed May .

Lylah De Jesus

Angel Velasco Cruz

Her

I never knew what love felt like I thought it was random, just how it would disappear like a kite

But when I ﬁrst met her I never knew that she was ﬁlled with love that was soo pure

That she would help me get to the path of light

She would distract me

Make me stay up overnight

But when I'm with her

I get ﬁlled with excitement

She truly has brung happiness into my life

Her soul is perfect So bright

Every time I'm with her, I start to get butterflies

I know we aren't perfect but what we have is nothing but true love

People say love is complicated, stressful, overwhelming, exaggerating, annoying, and hard work

But all of that doesn't matter when you ﬁnd the right one

And she is indeed the one

I asked myself before Am I too young?

Am I ready?

Will I ever ﬁnd love?

But I've never asked myself that ever again I learned what love truly is

Ever since I met her

Sujeily Nuñez

AroundHim

The sun arises with its shining beam of light

Tired as usual but delighted to see another day

Getting ready to see that special someone

The person that brings me more joy when I'm with them

He is the one that brings me happiness

Joy into my life every time I see him

Love is beautiful once you ﬁnd that person

That person is him

We are not perfect

We try to be

We all do

But what matters most is what we feel for each other

Others opinions does not matter when I'm with him

The world has more color whenever I'm with him

With every glare he gives me makes me the happiest person

Happiness is truly found when you're with that special someone

Cindy Macancela

Who Am I

WhoamI

I’m a strong girl that has a voice that everyone could here But wouldn't, Even if my voice is louder than a siren no one can hear me It always feels like my voice is getting trap like a roaring tiger in a cage,

Whoam

I

I'm a girl that is scared to walk alone in the night wondering what might happen to her, However I stand straight and walk in the night like a brave knight in a fairytale,

WhoamI

I'm a girl that walks in fashion to look nice for herself but i'm not a girl that walks to impress anyone else

YES I might be kindlike a soft care bear, But once you make a bad move, Then the soft warm hearted bear Will ﬁght back Like a mother bear ready to attack for her cubs?

Naeemah Mozumder

Zaylee Humphrey

Horror

Fear itself can be scary.

Nothing more than the devil creating something that shouldn't be brought to earth. Caught in a wave of heat as your body gets sweaty.

Now don't be petty, Pray to your god to let these demons out.

Never be afraid of something.

It's make believe.

Don't listen to the whispers, listen to your own voice.

Don't fear anyone or anything.

Geneysi Quezada It'sRainingSomewhereElse...

Rain is such a comforting feeling

The soft yet heavy drops of water hitting your skin

The feeling of getting soaked but brushing it off while Dancing and feeling alive for the ﬁrst time in forever

It's the best

I love the rain

It makes you feel like your in a movie with the happiest ending

It's a feeling you could only experience there in that moment

So you should enjoy it the most you can cause it'll pass soon

But you can always smile and remember that it's raining

Somewhere else in the world.

Elizabeth Nazario

Inspired

Melody Coleman

Regret

December ,

Today I lost you.

You were like my school sister. Marializ. You had long black hair, tall like me, and light skin like caramel. People would say we looked like sisters or cousins.

It's sad, honestly, the way you passed because it was not of natural causes. It hurts me that you would do something like that. I do regret not really talking to you during quarantine or saying what a good friend you really were when we were in school, how you helped me when I needed someone to talk to.

I want to say,“Thank you.” When I was in th grade and my sister was in th, we got into an argument because of the person she was dating ( I did not like him, he cheated on his other girlfriends). I was in After School and I made her cry. Of course I felt bad but I was still mad.

After about minutes you came to me and said,“Yo, I just saw your sister crying.” I acted like I did not care because I was pissed off.“You know you're acting like a b*tch right now,” you said.

I knew that. I was happy that you said that to me because I needed someone to be honest with me.

You took your own life, but did you ever consider how selﬁsh you were? Your dad found you and you left your family broken. You left all your friends and teachers hurt. You hurt me as well.

I do kinda feel like I should have done my part as your friend a little better so that maybe you could have told me more about your problems and how you felt.

Now, I want to say thank you. I want to say thank you for letting me be myself around you. I want to say thank you for helping me and my sister when we had that big argument at school. I want to say thank you for helping me with my friend issues and being able to have someone to talk to. I want to say thank you for just being a good friend.

You were one of my closest friends in school and I couldn't see that you were hurting and I never really asked if you were ok. So I do have regrets.

I miss you so much.

Tehra Hamid

Travis Dizon

Fireﬂy

Fireflies, so ephemeral and weak, but it's shining with all its might, thump thump, like a heartbeat, that is the light of life.

The glow of a ﬁrefly shines so brightly during the night so fragile yet so beautiful, as the human heart. Just like ﬁreflies our lives are a miracle, to be able to feel pain, to be able to suffer, yet we still shine.

To be able to love and sympathize, shine! In everything you do, Shine!

We only get one life and one chance, So shine with all your might!

Let all the light out of your heart and glow!

Imanie Vasquez

The Halls

So white and empty

No one is glaring

No one is judging At me with their eyes

I like the quiet company of my presence

Yet It feels like I'm sinking into a hole

These school halls keep me from ever being noticed I don't have to be anyone

Not pretty Or wild Or edgy

Yet why do I feel like I want to get noticed

It's as if a flower can't sprout without the sun

I hope a hand will reach out and seek comfort in me

As a warm touch seeps into my heart

There I say I am noticed

Melody Coleman

ObstacleinLife

I am like a vase, fragile and broken

Pieces still broken

And need repairing

I am athletic as Serena William in a tennis match

I can ﬁnd myself drawing and painting some would say I'm artistic

People take what they can get and take my nice personality as a advantage and try to use me

I am not a puppet controlled by strings but a person who has feeling I used to be quiet, somewhat a rabbit eating carrots on a grassy ﬁeld

Some say I am tall as Mount Everest

Or I am beautiful as a model

And as smart as Einstein

I am like a vase, still fragile and broken

Eddie Chabla

Glizzy Gladiator

Many athletes do the unimaginable and break records that defy human comprehension. The greatest example is a beast of a man named Joey Chestnut. He has accomplished feats that redeﬁne the biological limits of humankind. He is also a -time Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest Champion.

In Chestnut became known as “The Glizzy Gladiator” because he ate hotdogs (glizzies) in under minutes. He destroyed his opponents--the runner up only ate . Does this last championship make him the greatest athlete of all time?

To become competitive eating GOAT, Chestnut created a unique training method different from your typical sports athlete. Since he specializes in eating large amounts of food, he bites down on stress balls and lifts weights with his jaw to strengthen his bite, allowing him to consume all those glizzies. Joey knew he was destined for greatness. In an interview with ESPN.com, he said,"When I was in college, I'd eat healthy during the week, and as my reward, I'd just go home and eat everything in my mom's fridge.” When he was still living at home there'd be a whole week's worth of leftovers. He chowed down on everything in the fridge.“I'd just eat it all. I was an animal." Now, when he practices, he waits until the food has been digested.“I'll have one good day of protein, whether it's ﬁsh or turkey, maybe chicken. And then I go back and do a fast, where it's all liquid. It's a cleanse, pretty much, a two-day cleanse. And then when I'm at the weight I want and I know I'm empty, I can do another practice."

Some people would claim Chestnut has a food disorder, but he turned his compulsion into a high degree in the art of eating. In this period of his life he didn't know what he was capable of but somehow he started to turn himself into a champion. He is dedicated to his craft and practices different strategies to consume insane amounts of food. In one sitting he can consume what multiple people can in a day in just under minutes.

Chestnut started his professional career in , earning rd place at Nathan's famous contest. He began his reign as a world champion after . Year after year he breaks his own mark, eating so many glizzies it becomes more

Eddie Chabla Glizzy Gladiator (continued)

difﬁcult to break his own record. In he was beaten by Matt Stone who ate glizzies to Joey's . This left a scar on Joey's mind, knowing that someone beat him. Ever since then, his scores are in the 's and he's won every contest.

Nothing can stop this man. Even during a pandemic he managed to beat his score and wolf down glizzies in under mins. He pushed forward and nevergave up or let the pandemic consume his spirit like his other competitors. Darron Breeden ﬁnished second but only ate glizzies during the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Championship. This cements Chestnut as the greatest athlete of all time due to his incredible dominance in his sport. And even before he became the Glizzy champion of the world, in he broke the record for eating the most jalapeno poppers -- -- in under minutes.

Now the bigger question is how he compares with the other athletes in the world in other sports. Is Chestnut the greatest? What makes him unique is how dominant he is in his sport. In the food-eating world he has multiple records to his name. For example, people say that the GOAT in basketball is either Michael Jordan or Lebron James, but there is no disagreement in the food eating world because we already know who the true champion is. He's only getting better and increasing the distance from his opponents due to his superiority in the sport. Michael Phelps realistically is the Joey Chestnut of Olympic swimming.

Chestnut no longer needs recognition from other competitors because he has transcended them and reached the level of deities. This being is capable of eating Big Mac burgers from McDonald's in minutes--that's . pounds of America's ﬁnest cuisine making him a true patriot and a symbol for our country. Compared to athletes in other sports, he is underrepresented in the media since he has no real competition due to his undeniable skill to gobble food.

Joey Chestnut is pushing boundaries by experimenting with human capabilities. He is becoming stronger every year and there is no limit to his eating powers. He's underrepresented in the sports world even though he competes as a real athlete. Competitive eating contests continue to grow but Chestnut is the champion. At this rate, he will never be beaten, which proves his dominance. At this year's Nathan Hot Dog Eating Contest he aims to eat glizzies in under minutes like it's natural. The GOAT lives on, breaking records that surely will become grander with age.

Brianne Anthony

Abigail Garcia

Therefore

Therefore you and me

All we do is yell you tell me so many mean things so why are we together I feel chained to you unable to ever escape you the grip you have on me hurts my wrist is so sore

Leave me alone

“I love you” then you hug me you give me everything I ask for I get your praise and undivided attention you tell me things you've never told me before sometimes I forget that you love me so much and then you're distant. and you leave. for a long time. it gets quiet. and you don't respond. and it leads to me to ask Why are we together?

Savannah Simpson

Dick and Jane

Oh weeee ohh wooo Dick and Jane have found me boo hoo,

But this time it’s different because this is my world where they don't ﬁt in,

Instead of being a free little pretty human they are now my experiment where I will dissect them into I understand every part of them that makes us so different

Because I am beautiful just like them but for some reason I am neglected and seen as a dumb child,

But if I am being honest their whiteness, their cleanliness, their perfect little lives are the most DISGUSTING THING I HAVE SEEN IN MY LIFE,

I never hated something so much why do they ﬁt in while I don't we are just a like just to different shades more black then white,

One less with equity than an animal and less accepted in life,

While I dissect these so called beautiful creatures I will ﬁgure out why they are beauty when beauty can be anything,

I will prove to the world and those who wish to be white and have blue eyes that we are more beautiful than anything else in this whole world but for now the only thing I can do is learn by destroying this so called “beauty.”

Savannah Simpson

Chess

Game

Dick and Jane more like sick and blame,

A society where you should be white to win in this game,

While we black pieces just sit and be lame,

Don't have to ﬁt in to still be insane,

Don't have to be boy crazy to be put in vain,

Oh dick and jane dick and Jane this is your fault I am put in pain,

Jane and dick and dick and Jane hope you found your dog in a dead lane,

Who allowed you guys to make up society's dream life and for those who are only white,

Do you not see those in the background who is hiding in the light,

Waiting to be apart of something that isn't a ﬁght,

Maybe in the future there will no longer be just dick and Jane but a Nick and Rain,

Someone who can help represent us in the future,

Help us win this game not be the king but the queen where we have the power to make a change and maybe if the world is ready we can become the king where we can get protection and become the important piece in this game,

So oh Dick and Jane get ready for a juice game because we came to win in this chess game.

Brianne Anthony

Angelina Elizabeth Colberg

Friday

Late nights are ﬁlled with lost thoughts

Many thoughts crossed in my mind

Overthinking is at unease

“AmILostinmythoughts?”

Yes indeed

Iam a slight breeze that rushes through trees

Calm and agile

Iamas silent as an empty road on a rainy night

Magic! Magician's make objects disappear...

Call me a magician because my thoughts disappear

Poof!

Now I may be lost like a tourist in New York

But Iam a BOLD young lady

I can be much more BOLDER than the actual font!

Being bold taught me to stand out and not blend in And that's being UNIQUE!

Bravery is in my blood

Iam the knight in shining armor

The knight who is brave enough to slay the evil dragon

The knight who slays the bad energy away!

But that's not the only thing in my blood

When I open up to people

Call me a clown because I am a goofy person

But just because I am funny. Don't mean to take advantage!

I am as serious as a judge in a courtroom

Oh you're mad that Iamdifﬁcult?

Sorrytosaybutpeoplemademethisway!

Yes, I may be difﬁcult to understand but... you just can't read me like a book

Iam a Rubik's cube

It's hard to ﬁnd a way to solve me

It's hard being asked “whoamI?”because truth is...

I'm still trying to ﬁgure it out!

Alex Guzman

Striped Socks

The laundromat is the set destination

A couple underwears in a ﬁne box

Desperation

A pair of striped socks

Destined to be together you could say

However cursed to separate

Or at least it seems so

Cause every time they are apart the days just seem to be slow

They are only right when side by side

If you can't ﬁnd the both of them

Forget the Tide

This pair is only getting washed together

Or they will start a scandal like Martin and Coretta

Usually out on one of the seats

That's where they'll be

They always get up

Don't know how to get down

Somehow the left ends up out of town

It's an adventure to get the two together

The type of bond you can not sever

The type of bond that pulls neutrons and protons together

The type of bond that seems to last forever

Alex Guzman

Alone at the Doctor's Oﬃce

Sitting at the doctor's ofﬁce

Can't get my mind off of you

Not that I really want to

Reading clothes store magazines

All the models have your presence

Say we make a really good team

Just being able to get in contact is a present

When I'm near your aura I feel like a child Nearly got lost in my mind

That would be difﬁcult to ﬁnd

While the nurse checked my blood pressure

I started thinking of you somewhere down the line I have a set image of you roller skating

On the TV government ofﬁcials were debating

The birds outside

Chirping and mating

No matter how hard I try it don't get easier to say things

Chairs lined in columns, rows or both

You not here by my side is what I loathe

Jesus Ortega

Ayah Fahme

TheRedMist

The red mist of her aura suffocates me

Her horns, Her blood-red eyes, Her long black hair, Her red silky dress

She comes for me

She compels me with her bright blood red eyes

“It's okay sweetie. Surrender to me. You won't feel the pain anymore”

Touching my skin ever so softly

“I can heal you.”

Her voice is as soft as a fluffy pillow and as calm as the sea on a sunny day

Everything is spinning, it's all upside down

I can't see or hear or breath, I am no longer here

I become nothing

“THE BITCH IS DEAD” she screams in ecstasy as I fade away

Calmness spread through my body like a plague

Now that I have risen no one shall hurt us again

I have forged walls made of diamonds

Although I am not the same

I see leaves start to grow on my horns

My dress turning into the lightest green

My eyes are still a bright blood red

I am new I have a soft gentle touch yet still deadly

The red mist subsides and a purple mist grows around me

As the world fades away, I become new

Someone I do not yet know

However, I am at peace

As blue as the ocean

As beautiful as the flowers in bloom

I grow

Lil Richard UncontrollableDeeds

Deeds, you do them consciously Deeds can affect you badly I want to stop but can't Why?

I know it's unhealthy, so then Why?

I tell myself “this is the last chip” As I chew on the rough surface of one Do I go along? Does my mind control my body? Does my body control My mind? Either way I know I'm doing something wrong But why can't I stop it? Why can't I stop these DEEDS

Carolina Sosa

KeepDoingWhatYou'reDoing

I wish I believed, I wish believed when you told me you believed in me. I wish I can see in me what you seen, when we talked last two things, you said, I love you. And no matter what keep doing what you doing. Keep doing what doing, whatever you do well keep doing it, you gotta keep it moving, gotta keep it moving, do what you do, keep doing what doing.

Scissor Hand 8＜

Animal

Efforts to evolve, laughing animal world is too fake

The ancestors have worn away their minions

There must be a better way to fall in love and kill each other

Compare it, who kneels down ﬁrst

Don't evolve, don't make the animal world too fake

Love and kill each other, don't think of a better way

Survival of the ﬁttest, self-licking scar

Pretending to evolve, desperately trying to be different from animals

Play a noble and elegant

Under people's decayed desire

Animality too late to kill

Forget it, don't bother to struggle

Humans use sand to squeeze out the tower to heaven in the dream

For greed at all costs

Riding an expensive Trojan horse

The nests are stacked one after another

In the end, but naked

Don't be afraid, we are all alone

Dasia Young

Jibeh Fatty

African Oxygen

I COME FROM A FOREIGN LAND CALLED AFRICA A BELIEVER OF THE ALMIGHTY ALLAH

I WILL NEVER IDENTIFY AS AN AMERICAN ONLY TO FORGET MY ROOTS

LONG SPARKLY BOOTS THAT ROSE HIGH TO MY THICK THIGHS BEING TOLD THAT MY PRETTY CURLS WERE NOT IN STYLE

MAMMA SPLASHED PAINFUL PERM INTO MY SCALP CHEMICALS BURNING MY BLIND EYES WHAT A DISGRACE

JUST SO OTHER KIDS WOULD BE PLEASED BY STRAIGHTENED STRANDS

Just so the public eye wouldn't deny - WHAT THEY CALL ME,“an African booty scratcher”

MY BEAUTIFUL CURLS DAMAGED ROOTS DAMAGED ENDS DAMAGED

MY MENTALITY WAS DAMAGED

THE WORLD PERCEIVES US BLACK WOMEN AS INFERIOR SPECIES WHILE LIGHT SKIN WOMEN ARE TREATED AS IF THEY ARE SUPERIOR BEINGS We are tired of being manipulated

WE ARE TIRED OF BEING MANIPULATED TO

Destroy our skin cells, And follow the latest trends

WE ARE TIRED OF BEING MANIPULATED TO To hate our culture, and be ashamed of who we are

Because who we are are Mathematicians, teachers, activist, doctors, dancers, singers, POETS, ATHLETES, rappers, actors,

BEING black is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I am proud to be a black woman.

Jesus Ortega

Expected the Unexpected

Ever since I was a little kid, driving a car was one of my biggest dreams. I always begged my dad to let me get behind the wheel but he wouldn't let me. I understood that I couldn't because of my age but I was still desperate. Although I couldn't legally drive, that didn't stop me from learning. I would always pay close attention when my father would drive me places and memorize all of the signs we passed. Learning what I could at my age about driving made me mentally prepared. I knew when the time came, I was going to be a great driver and make my father proud.

I was fifteen when my dad finally allowed me to drive his car short distances. I was surprised because I wasn't old enough to obtain a permit but I wasn't complaining. He let me park his car in his garage, drive him places when he had errands to run, and let me drive from his house to mine which is about seven to ten minutes. Each time, my dad taught me the right way to drive. He was hard on me at first, but I know he meant well. I did okay the first time I drove in the streets with other cars, but I still had a lot to learn.

While I was driving my dad would say,“What are you doing?!” or “You don't know what your left or right is?!” or “Are you blind?! Can't you read the signs?!”

I have absolute respect for my dad, but when he raises his voice at me my body trembles in fear. I do everything in my power to avoid my father getting any bit angry with me, but I always fail to do so. Sometimes I ponder if I'm a terrible son or if I deserve to have a father like the one I have. All my life my dad has put more focus on my substandard acts and I don't feel worthy of him anymore. I've had to learn how to block my father's negative remarks towards me and accept him for who he is.

Although my dad would sometimes act unpleasantly in the car, that didn't stop him from letting me drive. One day, I had a baseball game in Long Island, about an hour away from my house. There was a parking lot and after the game my father gave me the car keys to go get the car. When I pulled it over to where my father stood, I was prepared to get out of the car so he could drive back home but my dad casually got in on the passenger side.

“Go on. Drive this way,” my dad insisted.

“Okay,” I replied, as if I didn't know we were an hour away from my house.

Jesus Ortega Expected the Unexpected (continued)

I was still prepared to get out of the car before I entered the highway because I had never driven on a highway before. Since I didn't have a permit, I didn't think my dad would risk me getting pulled over by the cops.

“Stay in the right lane and take the exit that says New York City,” my father said.

I nodded my head. Not only was I surprised I was going to take a highway for the ﬁrst time, but I wasn't scared. I merged into the middle lane where cars usually drive when they're not in a rush, and drove sixty to sixty-ﬁve miles an hour. I assumed going three times faster than the speed at which I normally drove was going to be frightening but, on the contrary, every other car was blowing by me and it didn't feel like I was going fast.

I looked at my GPS and it said I had twenty minutes to arrive at my destination. I couldn't begin to fathom the fact I've been driving for forty minutes. To be honest, it didn't even feel like forty minutes. I was so comfortable and relaxed every second of the way I didn't bother looking at the time. I wanted to keep on driving until I reached the horizon.

Finally, we arrived home. I felt like I did an excellent job driving on the highway but hearing it from myself wasn't enough. I wanted to hear it from my father as soon as I parkedthe car in his garage. Unfortunately my father got out of the car quietly. On the way home, he was critiquing my driving ability as if my experience at driving was the same as his. I thought since my dad and I made it home in one piece I would get a “Good job son,” or at least a “You did well but you still need to work on a couple of things.” But he remained silent like he always does.

I wasn't raised with my father. I was raised with my mother and three sisters. I wouldsee my dad on weekends, but sometimes I wouldn't. The times I would spend with him I only had one thing in mind, making my father proud. He always had high expectations for me which made it hard to please him. One thing I'm certain is I always did everything in my power to be the best son I could be. It pained me listening to my dad point out my defects when I tried my best to satisfy him.

Jesus Ortega Expected the Unexpected

This situation has carried on my whole life. I had to get used to the way my father conducted himself with me. I know I'm not the perfect son that he desired but he should recognize that I'm just as human as he is. The same way he can freely point out my imperfections, is the very same way he can encourage and inspire me during my exemplary moments.

Although I didn't get the motivation from my father that I needed, the day I put my hands on the wheel for the ﬁrst time and got on the highway, was the beginning of something new. Something that I still use to get my thoughts together. Driving is an amazing way for me to forget about things happening in the real world. It helps me enjoy the moment I'm living, gives me purpose, and makes me content with myself.

Photoby SaraSoﬁa

MonroyVargas

Skylar Brown

Liberosis

A taste of freedom

The smell of rain, Raindrops dripping down onto My own window of a birdcage

That was never even there, A key that was never found by my own contorted Monster.

A peace of mind that has been lost For dreadful winters.

A child looking onto another side of the mirror, Finding what she looks like in the future.

Only to ﬁnd out That she needed to be Freed. She just wants a taste of Liberosis.

Joslynn Flores

2 Photos

Bryan Rivera

Imperfection

Humans commit a lot of sins, but that's why we aren't perfect We are the babies in this small world we inhabit

I'm lazy and weak

Like a Sloth hanging out in a tree I give up easily and I know this yet I don't do anything

Hypocrisy and Pride is what we all do or did The seeds that gave birth to Hate Some hate more than others some more obvious and others more subtle

But with all the bad comes good Intelligence, Creativity, the ability to sympathize and connect with each other. We may be hopeless now but we might be able to ﬁx that by helping each other in any way possible.

Dasia Young

Yurico Juarez

LittleBody,BigHeart

I am pale as the snow that falls in December. I am fragile like one of the porcelain doll in your grandma's collection. I imagine what's it like shining bright like the sun that beams on your eyes on Fourth of July.

The faucet in my eyes turn when things go bad . If they do I scream as if it were a scary movie. Half of the time I'm drowning in a sea of sadness . You'll barely see me ﬁshing for compliments.

The only thing that's keeping me going is that maybe one day I'll be on the wall of fame.

But until then, my face will remain pale as the snow that falls in December.

Sara Soﬁa Monroy Vargas

4 Photos

Denisse Valiente

Flourish

Hope can spring from life

fruitful beginnings in us a season of growth

Eternal noon sky sweet hope cultivates through time future reflection

The past flows away fluttering the way wind blows everything changes

“Mystical” Created by Gia Shah

Inspired by “Dreams,” Langston Hughes

Maybell Martinez

Nain Chiriboga

ThePowerofOne’sVoice

We all have a voice.

The voice that we have been given is quite unique to the human being.

By having a voice you can communicate with others and understand what others are saying.

But how much is it worth having a voice?

Any and all voices should be important no matter what.

The one that speaks has the light and those that listen are those that see the light and speak of the light.

So don't be scared to show the light to others.

Elizabeth Nazario

Early Morning Snow

In my winter bed

Blankets of white snow

Why am I still cold?

Kitty Luther

The Downpour

The rain came today.

“It'sathirtypercentchance.” I yearned seventy.

Hillary Nunez Loneliness

Unwanted thoughts in a dark room where an older sad child cries, self betrayed.

Hoy Yan Zyta Mak

My

Sister

My younger sister smiles like the sweetest candy which lights up my day

fathomcoast

Stories

Stories you tell everyone

Stories you tell to your friends

Stories you don't tell to anyone

Maybell Martinez

Everyday

Feels like I'm falling

Knowing no one will catch me

But I'm used to pain

Memories

Memories don't fade

Broken friendships are lessons

Grateful and special

Joselyn Tapia-Pena

Tehra Hamid

Escapism

dragons as powerful as divine beings sword ﬁghting alongsidemagic as limitless as the void ancient ruinsdungeons so dangerous it's a miracle you survive and gods, watching, eyes rotten with insolence. the possibilities are endless. which world shall I choose this time? a countryside village brimming with charm even as the overbearing sun lays to rest the moon embraces the land with her elegant beauty I feel comfort or the bustling capital? the giant castle you can see from the port it competes against the arrogant sun gallantly scraping the sky, it's a sword so sharp, colored with the blood of royalty.

an ancient ruin, as old as the surrounding universe. nothing but dust awaits, how boring.

a mountain-side temple what awaits me there? shrines, so life-like it's as if they're alive. is there a god waiting to meet me?

I don't care. what would there be to even say to a god?

is there any relevance to what a deity might say? I'll hide from the thoughts that are dragged along. escaping

Ariful Ajmir

CONTRIBUTORS

Brianne Anthony: She is a graduating senior in the class of .

Skylar Brown: Skylar is an th grade student.She says about her poem“Liberosis”:“It was 5: in the morning.Early February.I was struggling with my depression and had been trying to cry everything out.That’s when a light bulb struck into my head.I wrote a poem about it.The message here is that all I’m trying to do is free myself and heal my mental health.”

Nain Chiriboga: “I’m a 5-year-old-boy who wants to adventure across the globe and can't wait for the future.I made this piece because it was my last English project of the year.”

Fariha Chowdhury: (she/her) “I created a comic.”Fariha is an upcoming junior and she is currently working on a comic called Survive which is still in development so stay tuned for updates!

Angelina Elizabeth Colberg: Angie is a freshman at NDHS.Her poem was inspired by Juice WRLD,may he S.I.P.She says,“His songs are mostly about him fighting his inner demons and finding his true self,which is a long process.Many people can relate to staying up late at night just letting their thoughts taking over their emotions.Some people are trying to figure out who are they and what's not them.”She is trying to tell young teens that it's okay to not know who you are as of yet.Just take it one day at a time!

Melody Coleman: Melody is a rising sophomore at New Design.“My piece'Regret'was written to say goodbye and thank you to my friend.”

Travis Dizon: My name is Travis Dizon.I am 7 years old and a rising junior.I aspire to be someone who brightens the days of others,my pronouns are he/him.I love spreading kindness and positivity through the magic of words and poetry.One day the LitbyDesign team has asked me to submit a work I would like to share.The message of“Firefly”is all about embracing life with both arms,in hardship and joy,be grateful for the gift and magic of experiencing life.

Ayah Fahme: “My name is Ayah,I'm 6 and my pronouns are she/her.My poem was an assignment we had to do.I chose the topic of growth.I wanted this poem to show that growth isn't easy,and sometimes it will be painful but once you allow yourself to grow you become even stronger and more beautiful.”

Jibeh Fatty: “My name is Jibeh.I am a West-African born in Gambia.I have siblings,and I'm the middle child.I love making short ﬁlms and editing because I am a creative person and it is one of the ways that I express my art.I also love dancing,singing,and being a student activist.”

Joslynn Flores: A young rising th grader,her mind is always wandering so she often observes things and their details.Because she can't always draw what she feels or thinks,she grabs a camera and quickly conceals whatever it was that reflected herself in that moment.Her inspiration happens to be music and her emotions.For these photos,she was fascinated by how the lights reflected off of the glitter.She also started writing and learning Korean with the hope of traveling to Korea and other parts of the world with a friend who's always encouraging her.

CONTRIBUTORS

Abigail Garcia: “I'm a high school kid who had internet access way too early on and a not so nice upbringing.I'm just preaching what I know.I made“Therefore” because I think it's important that teenagers are aware of what are examples of unhealthy relationships are early on to prevent us from getting into dangerous situations.It's okay to be hurt,we need to make it known that being in those types of relationships isn't okay.”

Alex Guzman: He is a rising senior.Of his poem on p. he says,“I was inspired to make this poem because of a relationship that I am no longer in and boredom in the doctor's ofﬁce.I truly was in the doctor's ofﬁce when writing this.This poem was written a while back,around a year to a year and some months ago.”

Tehra Hamid: About her art work“Oasis”:“What inspired me to make this piece was my love for personifying natural elements as gods and deities.I'm trying to convey an oasis through this art piece with the sand-colored skin,running water and,plant life.''

Scissor Hand 8＜: A rising junior,he says,“This poem talks about human nature in a distorted view of love.”

Zaylee Humphrey: “Hi,I'm Zaylee,I'm in th grade and my pronouns are they/them! I created my poem because I have many fears like everyone around the world and my mom always told me that the Devil created fear and to never be scared.''

Kitty Luther: I am a 5-year-old girl living in Brooklyn,New York,who likes to skateboard and write all day long.

Cindy Macancela: Cindy is a rising sophomore at New Design High School.

Sara Soﬁa Mornoy Vargas: Sara is a rising sophomore at New Design High School.

Hillary Nunez: Hillary is a rising junior at New Design High School.

Sujeily Nuñez: “I am a 6-year-old girl who is working hard to pursue my upcoming goals.My pronouns are she/her.''

Jesus Ortega: He is a graduating senior in the class of .

Geneysi Quezada: I'm a female that's in th grade I really enjoy being creative and reflecting myself onto whatever I work on.I made it for my ﬁnal assignment for ELA.''

Lil Richard: He’s a rising junior.He says,“I'm a student that needs more sleep.It was hw.''

CONTRIBUTORS

Bryan Rivera: “I necessarily like having friends to play or have fun with,but I don't necessarily try to go out of my way to get any.But since the pandemic it's gotten easier in a way since I can become anonymous to people around me.My hobbies are drawing,playing games,and writing.The inspiration behind the poem was my personal experience and thoughts of how I see everyone superﬁcially as a community.I have been having negative thoughts because of the stigma of our society and of my impurities,but I've seen people do the relatively good things I mentioned in the poem.So I mixed those thoughts and wanted to be optimistic of our future.''

Gia Shah: (she/her) “I'm an outgoing extrovert that loves hanging out with friends and making people smile! I wanted to work on new colors as well as just experiment with new or strange body features like the neck on this speciﬁc piece since it stands out.Also,I decided to add flowers on the drawing since it would feel more'mystical'especially with the curly hair.''

Carolina Sosa: (she/her)“Well there's nothing much to say about me except that we all have different stories coming from a person.My life has been mainly revolved around my house hold and why I am the way I am but that's just about that.I created this piece because everything I've said is actually a story behind it that's based on a true event.It means a lot to me every single word that I wrote down does as well.''

Talia Thompson: (she/her)“I am ﬁrst generation American and my parents are from a country called Guyana.Since middle school I have been interested in writing about social justice.I created this piece because“colorism”is something that has been negatively impacting the black community for generations.I have personally experienced“colorism”and when writing this piece I had been seeing a lot of colorism on social media platforms like Instagram,TikTok,Twitter,and YouTube.It was important to me that I write this piece to inform others about colorism and its effects.''

Denisse Valiente: “I go by any pronouns,and I'm someone that likes to express myself through various forms of art.This was an English assignment,we were given the opportunity to create poems.I chose the haiku format since they're very impactful in their own way.''

Imanie Vasquez: “I'm a 7-year-old Latina girl who just wants to spread love and kindness to people.I created this peace to show readers an insight of what it is like to be introverted and not a outgoing person.To lend a hand to someone who is broken.''

Angel Velasco: “I'm just a 5-year-old kid wishing for the best in life.''

Dasia Young: She is a graduating senior in the class of .

Mission Statement

LitbyDesign, founded in , is an online and in-print literary magazine run and operated by the talented students of New Design High School. LitbyDesign is dedicated to introducing teenagers to the world of writing, publishing, interviewing, reviewing, editing, and designing, whether it be slides, websites, or magazines. We hope to entertain readers like you with the best work from - by NDHS students. We thank all contributors and the many talented artists and writers who did submit work, but for a variety of reasons could not appear in these pages.

Thank You!

We hope you had a great time reading! This issue of LitbyDesignwould not be possible without the help of New Design's ELA teachers: Brett Burns, Darren Chase, John Chiaravalloti, Tori Chiraﬁsi,Marlene Godoy, John Istel, Alexa Lee, Laura Madera, Rachel Posner, Ranesha Singh, Caitlin Thomson and Design teachers: Charity Lord, Nicolle Minaya, Dave Vranich, Julie Zenobi, along with the help of Claire Butler, JoanAnn Chovnick, and the rest of the NDHS staff!