Roycemore Literary Magazine Issue#5-2021

LIT˷Mag Roycemore School Literary Magazine

Issue#5 Issue #42021 2021

Mountains

Foreword

We must come to realise that Earth’s natural gifts are not a permanent fixture. This gives us an obligation to preserve the organic world in all of its forms of beauty. In our own experiences with it, nature can be as diverse as the opinions that we have of it. While some may view nature as a biological construct, or an untamed landscape of unpredictability, creativity, and our individual expressions of it, can encapsulate the perspectives that we hold. This quarter’s edition of LitMag hopes to display the nature of the physical and conscious characteristics around us. New frontiers.

-- Sierra Stark, Alec Wilson

Cover art by Laura Lee

Contents

School

6

Anonymous

I am Allergic to Eggs

7

Keira Kim

Sushi Alec Wilson

Burrito Robin Yu

Sunrise Samad Bakare

Shooting Star Juliette Hopman

Fun Facts 6th Grade Students

Color Poem 6th Grade Students

Covid Emmeline Marsidi-Sedgewick

Untitled Lucy Birnbaum

8 10 12 13 14 20 26 27

Contents

Freedom

28

Andrew Iannelli

Night Glow

30

Sofia Kwok

The Sky Is Rather Beautiful Today Sofia Kwok

There is a reason Leo Ipjian

Grand Canyon Ronan McGuire

Altered Cylinder Youngnim Choi

Poem Isabella Goldberg

Name Poems 6th Grade Students

Meg is Poggers Keira Kim

31 32 34 36 38 40 46

Poems

7 hours every day 5 days in every week On this path, you cannot stray Your future seems to be quite bleak 180 180 180 180

days days days days

a year, of grades, of homework, late nights, goals, and mistakes of what they call learning

A symbol of hope or success A symbol for our country ’s progress Progress towards what A universal dystopian experience?

You might as well just say we’re all experiments

SCHOOL

School

Then teachers ask what’s on your mind Students start to answer then say nevermind Any word could show them out of line Any word could get them reassigned Nevermind, nevermind, you don’t want to know what’s on my mind My mind is whirring with all sorts of possibilities But I have to raise my hand just to go to the utilities Our minds move faster than you can comprehend But I won’t say anything so I can’t accidentally offend Offend your ideas that you say are open Give ideas for the progress that seems quite frozen But instead, we sit. We sit and we wait Wondering about our future and our fate Spending years sitting in neat columns and rows Lifetimes pass as we stare out the windows Learning, they say is what you do But we all know that isn’t true Those equations fly right through your head These papers always lead to dread Never knowing what you just read Only hanging on by a thread

Because, you forgot to write everything down You forgot to ‘stop procrastinating’ You forgot to understand as you read You’re waiting for the bell to ring each and every day Because once that bell rings is when you can make your own way When you can make your own choices

6 LIT_MAG

I am Allergic to Eggs Keira Kim - 9th Grade

I’m allergic to eggs; desserts of all shapes and sizes.

Strawberry cake, blueberry pie, if it has eggs, I’m dead.

So cut off my head before I’m dead, cause I’d rather die than eat an egg.

I love to bake, but not with cake when it has that yellow blob.

If I eat an egg, get the EpiPen before I cough and choke.

Because Benadryl could work, but I’d feel the pain, so it’s better to stab me, then to let me ache.

Stories

Sushi Alec Wilson 11th Grade

In a little restaurant, not ten minutes from my home, my favorite food is made. When I order, I get the same thing, sticking to the conformity that I set for myself: 18 pieces of California Roll and 18 pieces of Gyoza. In a ritualistic manner, I pop open the stapled paper bag and unload the aluminium containers holding the sushi, plastic bowls of Miso soup, and white paper boxes filled with rice and edamame. I distribute the food out according to what my family ordered, finalizing the process by dumping out the bag - watching the chopsticks, napkins, and packets of soy sauce fall out onto the kitchen table.

As I have done numerous times before, I slide the foil container over and press on either side of the plastic lid to open it. I always start with the gyoza. I prefer eating the warm stuff before moving onto the contrasting, cold rolls of rice, cucumber, avocado, and crab. I actually despise eating seafood on its own for I hate the fishy taste and slimy texture. Although, when complemented with other flavors and textures, it changes my opinion.

Alone I hate it, together I love it. As every bite comes around, I dip my piece into the sweet, yet slightly spicy, sauce that comes with every container. With this, the complexity of the design, flavor, and ingredients located within every bite-size piece are revealed. It is what I love about sushi. The fact that every piece, crafted and cut with individual care, is a sculpture of its own.

8 LIT_MAG

I love this food, but I do not turn to it frequently, for if I was to eat it every day, its specialness would become lost in commonality. Instead, sushi is something I turn to as a reward - like a piece of candy for a child who was well behaved, or a promotion for an employee who surpasses their monthly quota. In the past I was different. I would turn to it more frequently, typically while enjoying a movie or TV show. During those times, I would copy my dad, such as filling up my glass with grape juice in an attempt to imitate his nightly glass of red wine. While doing this, my dad and I would eat on large green trays that my mom had us eat our food on, for fear of us spilling food in the TV room.

Though we still have those very same green trays, I have not touched them in years. It’s an experience I hold sacred to the past - not because of my different preferences in taste, but because of my evolved relationship with that food and time, because of my desire to share the same reality that I had with my dad. Those were moments that I gave to him, not for me to continue on while he remains behind. Together I love it, alone I hate it.

Stories

LIT_MAG

9

Burrito

Stories

Robin Yu 12th Grade

The filling has a consistency between Colgate toothpaste and sands you may find in a Children’s playground.

The outer shell has a soggy quality to it, resembling the delicate texture of a pair of forgotten old socks that were submerged in water for years. The moment you take your first bite, those two elements rushes into your mouth, quickly filling your taste buds with the most peculiar sensation that only an El Monterey Frozen Burrito could bring.

El Monterey Frozen Burrito always had a special place in my heart. I could still remember the first time I purchased this delicacy, how I opened the freezer in Food Lion, unable to suppress my excitement, finally able to hold this masterpiece of Frozen cuisine in my palm. There it was. Its beautifully decorated plastic wrapper just rested there in my hand in a celestial silence that drowned out all sounds. The low buzz of the freezer next to me disappeared, the chitchat of the old couples behind me disappeared, the sound of my brother screaming because he couldn’t buy his ice cream dissapreared. All it left was my 10 LIT_MAG

hand and the thin El Monterey Frozen Burrito Plastic Wrapper, separating me from that heavenly delicacy inside. I returned home, instantly took out the Burrito, and placed it in the microwave.

In 1 minute and 15 seconds, the Burrito is done. I took my first bite, and its filling filled up my mouth. It was an extremely subtle taste that I could not comprehend fully. Was it beans? Was it beef? Or, was it the taste of a rotten rat that accidentally fell into the meat grinder when this filling was made?

I couldn’t tell. But, nevertheless, this toothpaste-like filling made up the 9g of protein it advertised on its plastic wrapping. Touched by this unearthly taste, I cried. When I was little, I cried a lot. I cried about summer camp, I cried when I was angry, I cried when I was sad, but one day the tears just ran dry, and I cried no more, until, I took a bite from this burrito. It completely shattered my barriers; I cried like when I was ten, my temple pulsing, my head spinning, I feel myself going numb, and I realized that the plastic had mixed into the burrito, and I was chemically intoxicated. I heard a ringing in my

Stories

ear. I felt like I was back at the freezer at Food Lion. Everything else got drowned out by the ringing, leaving only me on the ground, not believing what I had just eaten. I felt my face burning; I was left breathless; my heart was pounding against my chest due to that unearthly burrito I had just eaten. I closed my eyes, contemplating, confused, not able to process all these sensory feedbacks that burrito has brought me, and slowly, I fell into oblivion.

I woke up. The sky was scarlet red, my legs sunk into the ground which consisted of a dark red paste with consistency between Colgate toothpaste and sands you may find in a children’s playground. I suddenly realized what this peculiar situation entailed. I woke up, somehow shrank, and ended up inside the El Monterey Burrito. I tried to move my legs, but it was stuck deep inside the paste. I was surrounded by paste. I looked up and saw paste. I looked right and it was paste. Paste everywhere, everything was paste. Almost everything.

Suddenly, I heard movement. A pair of eyes lurked in the shadow. Before I could react, a giant rat appeared in front of me,

hungry for proteins. Its two eyes were oblivious of life. Its skin hung loosely on its exposing bones like a rag with many holes. Through the holes, its heart was faintly visible, and it wasn’t beating, but that clearly did not hinder its ability to inch toward me with its drooling mouth. I wiggled my legs, trying hard to get them out, but to no avail. It moves closer and closer to me. I could see its sharp teeth that grew so long that they penetrated its lips, and were about to penetrate my neck. The more I try to move, the harder the paste solidifies around me. I felt my heart drop, and I lose my hope. So, I closed my eyes. I waited for the bite, but, a bright light suddenly pierced through my eyelids, and when I opened my eyes, I was lying on a bed in a hospital. I had a horrible allergic reaction to something inside that burrito.

Through that occurrence, the El Monterey Frozen Burrito forever left a mark in my heart. It wasn’t just a burrito, it was a celestial silence that drowned out all things, it was a subtle mystery between my taste buds, it was a cave of paste, a dream, an experience.

LIT_MAG

11

Stories

Sunrise Samad Bakare 12th Grade

The light came from its deep sleep like a blooming flower It sets the lungs of the earth on fire but the flame does not hurt it The colors of the sky blend together like a perfect meal And a thousand eyes open at the same time Until the light returns to its deep sleep and darkness falls again

12 LIT_MAG

e

Stories

Shooting Star Juliette Hopman 6th Grade Stars, flying in the night Hoot, says the owl with fright Ooh, say the wolves, howling at the moon Oh no! Ghosts are Waking up from their tomb!

The moon is shining bright In the window, stars in flight No one’s awake, but the sky’s woke up Great! Now you can test your luck!

Shining bright like diamonds The stars are beautiful lemons A mom is cooking a dish Right when you see it, make a wish!

LIT_MAG

13

Fun Facts Stories

The six th-grade students were asked to elaborate on a fun or interesting fact.

14 LIT_MAG

Stories

Who Named Earth?

Anonymous 6th Grade My fun fact is no one strange that we don’t knows who named know who named the the Ear th. If you don’t planet we live on. believe me, look it up.

My reaction to this was surprise; I have never really thought of that question before, but I am still surprised. You would think that we would record the person to name the planet we live on. The word Ear th is a word probably everyone has said in their lifetimes. Ear th is our planet. I think it is

LIT_MAG

15

Stories

Changing

Flowers of Climate Change Anonymous 6th Grade There are a lot of interesting changes happening to our world. One of them is that climate change is causing flowers to change colors. This is because the amount of UV radiation is increasing causing the UV pigmentation in flowers to increase.

This makes flowers change color slightly.

People can’t see the color change with their eyes, but it is a big

16 LIT_MAG

problem for pollinators that are at tracted to the bright colors that the flowers give of f.

Another bad thing the change in flower color has caused is pollen decay. This shows that some of the changes that are happening to our world are bad, even if we don’t notice them.

Snails

Stories

Anonymous 6th Grade

Did you know that snails can sleep up to three years?

Snails need to be moist to sur vive, and if they’re not moist enough, they sleep (in the summer and hibernate in the winter). Snails need to be moist to sur vive, so they sleep so that they will secrete mucus

on their bodies to protect themselves when it’s dry and hot outside or when it’s winter.

LIT_MAG

17

Stories

Electric Cars Anonymous 6th Grade

The first car that was made was an electric car.

The first electric car was made in 1882. The car was made by an inventor named William Morrison.

When William Morrison invented the electric car

gas cars soon took over and everyone forgot about the electric car.

The electric car was an electrified wagon. The wagon could hold six people.

Seahorses Grace Calton 6th Grade

Did you know that seahorses don’t have stomachs? Due to that, they have to eat almost 18 hours a day in the wild. In aquariums, they are specially bred to be able to last longer without food. Normally, they would have to eat 18 LIT_MAG

more within a minute!

And, seahorses have a special sleep cycle, so their digestive system star ts to work slowly.

Now, whenever you hear someone say “Don’t be a seahorse!” you’ll know what she/he/they mean!

Stories

Pigs Theo Barshai 6th Grade Did you know that pigs cannot see the sky? A pig’s neck muscles are structured in a way that they cannot physically look upwards. In nature, a pig wouldn’t need to look at the sky since both its predators and prey are on the ground. Pigs can still see the sky, of

course, they can look in a puddle and see the reflection or just lay on their backs! So, if you want to know when pigs fly, your answer is not very soon, as they barely ever see the sky!

LIT_MAG

19

Color Poem Stories

In Mary O’Neill’s book about colors, Hailstones and Halibut Bones, she writes a poem about the color brown. The sixth-graders challenged themselves to write their own color poems.

20 LIT_MAG

Stories

What is Yellow?

Alexandra Ryskin 6th Grade Yellow is the color of my childhood Yellow is the color of a raincoat hood Yellow is sunshine Yellow is fun Yellow is my number one Yellow is the taste of lemon sour Yellow is the petals on a sunflower Yellow is the towels in my home Yellow is the world where I want to roam Yellow is the feel of my only pair of Crocs Yellow is the color of some rather rare rocks Yellow was the only yogur t back then that I would have Yellow is my second half

LIT_MAG

21

Stories

What is Aqua?

Inika Bassamboo 6th Grade What Aqua Aqua Aqua Aqua Aqua Aqua Aqua Aqua Aqua Aqua Aqua Aqua Aqua Aqua

22 LIT_MAG

is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is

Aqua? a feeling of happiness and joy. the color of the sky af ter a dark night. the rain falling on a cold day. the color of flowers on a color ful lay. a feeling of happiness and joy. the color of a child’s favorite toy. the color of an aquamarine gem. the color of my dress hem. a but ter fly flying high and low. the color of a steady flow. a beautiful emerald gleam. a bright and color ful dream. my locker mixed with green. a book called midsummer night dream.

Stories

What is Orange?

Pietro Rossi 6th Grade What is Orange Orange Orange Orange Orange Orange Orange Orange Orange Orange

Orange? is the color of fire is a color you should admire. is the color of the floor likes to explore is a sweet potato ready to eat will save you a seat are my feelings when I am tired is desired is sympathetic is energetic

LIT_MAG

23

Stories

What is Yellow?

Anonymous 6th Grade What is yellow?

Yellow is the colour of gold Yellow is the colour of my hair.

Yellow is the many grains of sand on the beach.

Yellow is my mother’s carpet.

Yellow is a cup of lemonade ready to be drunk.

Yellow is not the colour of watermelon.

Yellow is my feeling when I am happy.

Yellow is excitement when I visit my brother.

Yellow is the sun in the bright blue sky.

Yellow is happy and a good feeling.

24 LIT_MAG

Stories

What is Black?

Grace Calton 6th Grade What is Black?

Black is the color of night, The color of might, The color of chocolate chips, The color of crisp, Black is an endless void, And the inside of an android, Black is my mood ring when I’m sad, But also surrounding images in my head, While lying down in bed Black is there when the lights go of f, But blocks out a Karen’s scof f Black is the opposite of emotion, And instead is its promotion.

LIT_MAG

25

Poems

Covid Emmeline Marsidi-Sedgewick 5th Grade

I rush out of my house Almost forgot Most important thing My mask Could die Without Why? Covid disease.

26 LIT_MAG

Poems

Untitled Lucy Birnbaum 9th Grade

Next mourning star, you are weak, she says. You are weak.

Smell

the

scent

of

Insecure -----------------------------------------------------------------------------Sweet. smell the smell of sweet.

Secure.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LIT_MAG

27

Poems

Freedom Andrew Iannelli 10th Grade

I wrote this poem for my 9th grade English final. The topic of the poem is freedom and what it means to be truly free. I covered multiple topics in the poem, including the past and enduring struggle for freedom, the meaning of freedom, and the responsibility that comes with it.

28 LIT_MAG

Poems

What does it mean to be free?

Is it storming the Bastille?

Or the Bald Eagle, soaring above the trees?

Is it the grand halls of Rome?

The mighty temples of Athens?

Or maybe D.C., with its imposing white domes?

Is it something you can feel?

Is it something you can touch?

Is it something you gain through a deal?

Like a ghost in the night Freedom can vanish Without a fight Like the emancipation of the slaves Freedom can appear In every mountain, river, and cave Like an unwanted child Freedom can be abandoned At the mercy of the wild Like those you hold dear Freedom must be protected From those who fear The boy in France Carrying the musket In a dizzy trance The girl in Spain Holding the rifle Disregarding the pain We must protect this thing This thing we love From every dictator and every king LIT_MAG

29

Art Work

Night Glow Sofia Kwok 8th Grade

Graceful Sun Sofia Kwok 8th Grade

30 LIT_MAG

Art Work

The Sky Is Rather Beautiful Today Sofia Kwok

8th Grade LIT_MAG

31

Art Work

There is a reason

Leo Ipjian

10th Grade

32 LIT_MAG

Art Work

The original photo I used as reference was of the Purple Line leaving the Central station. I really like trains, I always have. This past year I’ve started photographing the trains I take. I originally painted this canvas as something else, but I decided I hated it. So I painted a train, using a color palette I like inspired by the album cover of the EP Your City Gave Me Asthma

By Wilbur Soot. The title is even inspired by the lyrics of the chorus in the first track Jubilee Line, “There’s a reason, London puts barriers on the tube line, there’s a reason, London puts barriers on the rails” .

LIT_MAG

33

Art Work

Grand Canyon Ronan McGuire 10th Grade

34 LIT_MAG

Art Work

This picture was taken in the middle of my hike down the Grand Canyon. We did not hike the entire way, as we were very unprepared and I was completely blindsided. I probably could’ve used context clues to realize that we would be hiking, yet I still stupidly wore my red Chuck Taylors and black leather jacket in the Arizona sun.

LIT_MAG

35

Art Work

Altered Cylinder Youngnim Choi 10th Grade 36 LIT_MAG

Art Work

I made this piece as a part of my pottery project, where I needed to create an altered cylinder. An altered cylinder is a cylinder, but it is changed so that it isn’t just a regular straight cylinder. To create this piece I added pressure at the top while spinning the wheel so that it would collapse. My inspiration for this piece was seeing something similar on Pinterest.

LIT_MAG

37

Art Work

Poem

Isabella Goldberg 9th Grade

38 LIT_MAG

Art Work

I did not know what to do for my LitMag assignment, so Ms. Freccia handed me a book, The Complete Essays Of Mark Twain. I flipped to a random page and circled words and phrases, and crossed everything else out, making a poem.

LIT_MAG

39

Art Work

Charlie Charlie Rozsypalek 6th Grade

40 LIT_MAG

Art Work

LIT_MAG

41

Art Work

Mandy Mandy Xuan 6th Grade

42 LIT_MAG

Art Work

Anisha

Anisha Mueller

6th Grade LIT_MAG

43

Art Work

Phoenix Phoenix Sherwin 6th Grade

44 LIT_MAG

Art Work

seven

Seven Berger-White

6th Grade LIT_MAG

45

Art Work

Meg is poggers keira kim 9th grade

46 LIT_MAG

Art Work

In 9th grade Foundations of English, we read a Wrinkle in Time. For our final project, we were tasked with writing an essay on how the main character, Meg, represents the qualities of Roycemore. We also made visuals to go along with our essay.

I used evidence from the text to prove how certain qualities apply to Meg. I also used the website, Picrew.me, to make a model of Meg in my perspective.

LIT_MAG

47

Roycemore Literary Magazine Presented to you by

Senior Editors: Sierra Stark Alec Wilson

Editors: Youngnim Choi Andrew Iannelli LeoEleanor Ipjian Keira Kim Ronan McGuire Alexandra Murphy Tenzin (Maya) Nyima

Senior Designer: Robin Yu

Designers: Isabella Goldberg Laura Lee

Falculty Sponsor: Charlotte Freccia

Fin.

Issue #4 2021

Roycemore School Literary Magazine

Issue #5 11/5/2021

LIT_MAG