AHS Creative Writing Literary Magazine Fall/Winter 2020

FALL/ WINTER 2020

AHS CREATIVE WRITING LITERARY MAGAZINE

TABLE OF CONTENTS R eflections

1

Flash Fiction

3 O bser vational Poetry

5 Slam Poetry

6 V illanelles

8 H aikus

9 Sonnet

10 O des

11

ABOUT T his online course satisfies elective credit in English.

Students learn strategies to write poetry, prose, and criticism through blogs, journals, websites, and writing groups. T hrough online lectures, lessons, and discussion threads via Google Classroom, students share their creative voice. T his year, we asked a few art students to lend their talent to our little magazine. Special thanks to M s. Christine M a and her students for this collaboration and O nassa Sun for formatting the magazine. We hope you enjoy reading some of our musings from first semester.

PTA REFLECTIONS CONTEST: I MATTER BECAUSE A ng el a Z . - Sec o nd Pl ac e

M y big toe is peeking out underneath Blankets haphazardly strewn M y bed a front row seat Cricket choir humming a tune Almost lulled into a midsummer night?s dream but, Bzz Bzz Bzz Someone drones in my ear A friend, fiend, or foe?

Alas, a mosquito Keeping me awake with gossips of his travels: Dining at five star dumpsters sleepovers with LA?s finest U ntil he has reached my pink-painted bedroom M idnight in June ?I am almost seven,? H e complains to me,

?M y bones ache; my wings fly heavy,?

An old gnat smaller than my pinky H e flew off soon after but he made me wonder H ow much have I done in a week?

I didn?t operate open heart surgery O r win the jackpot lottery But when my family of six forgets to feed the goldfish I remember to sprinkle algae flakes And when my mother works a late shift O n the table lies a warm dish Some days, I pick flowers for a friend?s smile O thers, I have Taylor Swift blasting W indows down Volume up school in ten minutes

singing with my dad at the top of our lungs And one day, We will also be almost seven(ty) Telling old tales And our bones will return to the same matter CEO , doctor, or librarian And all that will matter is If you made the stranger on the train?s day Pet a cute corgi across the street H ugged a loved one Because Despite how small, If our kindness buzzes loud enough to be heard O n a warm summer?s night M aybe that is what matters M aybe that is why we matter

PTA REFLECTIONS CONTEST: I MATTER BECAUSE D ec l a n B. - Th ir d Pl ac e

Dear 13 year old me, You will discover that mom?s death will soon mold you into a person of strength, responsibility, and compassion. As you move across the country, transfer schools and begin to structure a new life for yourself, you will identify a new drive to make mom and your family proud.

Despite the fear, chaos and sorrow, you will learn to grasp and harbor important aspects of life and anticipate the future with optimism, rather than dwelling on past experiences. As a result, you will also initiate a deep admiration for not only yourself but also dad. When mom died, dad had to learn how to shop for groceries, get his kids to school, pay tuitions, schedule medical appointments, etc, while also being fully employed at a new job. You will grasp the fact that you took for granted having a mother figure in the household. For this reason, you?ll soon learn how to take responsibility, whether it is simple tasks like making your lunch or learning how to do laundry, to even larger tasks such as managing your Type 1 Diabetes or making friends at a new school. U ltimately, you will discover how grateful you are for your family, as well as how proud you will make mom with your future accomplishments. You will journey far in life and will continually surprise yourself with ?Wow, I can do that,? and better yet, ? Wow, I did that.? You matter because pain can be transformed into growth, and your growth has constructed an ambitious and unforgettable journey.

FLASH FICTION CONTEST Cr eat iv e W r it ing 's In-Ho use Ch a l l eng e: Limit 25 Wo r d s

I woke up to the sound of glass shattering. I reached for the light switch, but another hand was already there.

- Jade L. M other always called me her ?little masterpiece,? so I put antifreeze in her evening cocktail.

I heard art is more valuable after the artist dies.

- Sofia M .

A disease took over the world and caused people to take sides. It was killing more than any other, but everyone wanted it. It's love.

- Jecone T.

Every night, footsteps thud unevenly; a sharp smile reeks. I hide from the monster not lurking under my bed, but watching T V on the couch.

- Angela Z .

A RT IST : C AT H ER IN E R I VER A

A r t ist : Cat h er ine R iv er a

OBSERVATIONAL POETRY A n A z ur e Sky

By Pav el S.

W ithin the plants lie tranquility.

W ithin the birds lie harmony.

A gentle wind teases the verdant grass, As an azure sky passes lazily on by.

A child shrieks on their bike.

A mother watches with cautious glee.

T he flowers sway in tune with the breeze.

And an apple falls sharply from the tree.

A cat prowls on the courtyard steps.

Its slitted eyes gaze haughtily upon the world It?s owner scratches it lazily behind the ear And an azure sky passes lazily on by.

In the distance comes a splash, children in the pool.

Birds sing their chirping songs, And children play their make-believe games, As a fly flies it?s final flight.

T he wind ruffles my hair, and strokes my chin, And a beautiful day washes away all sin.

I look up above, and all I see...

An azure sky passing lazily on by.

SLAM POETRY Sof ia M .

When I was four, I?d make angels in sandboxes while looking up at azure skies.

I?d dream of eating cumulus clouds, And fantasize of treks along vapour trails till I wandered beyond the horizon.

But I?m seventeen; now, I?m sprawled out on a bed--not grains of sand.

Yet somehow, I still find myself confined in a box.

H ow do I find myself within a box?

Stuck between four walls, I no longer daydream of venturing past vast expanses of blue.

N ow, I day-dread for the future because my mind is full of green.

M oney. H ow will I make money?

Because a capitalist society coins success as coins: H ow will you provide for yourself--take pride in yourself, if you don?t have money?

To get loads of green, land a lucrative job --but for that you need education and qualification.

And for that, you need money.

But it certainly doesn?t grow on trees.

And you definitely won?t find it in the sky.

So get your head out of the clouds and your feet onto the ground Because a high school diploma is nowhere near the end.

A r t ist : Linda Z h a ng

VILLANELLES H a nna h L. A series of parallel universes exist within my head.

W ithin each, houses a little world of its own.

It is where it keeps the things unsaid.

T he ideas swirl around like wounds that bled, T he fragments that only exist, traveling all alone.

A series of parallel universes exist within my head.

Inside there are nebulas of thoughts embed, H ypotheticals that linger being overblown.

It is where it keeps the things unsaid.

Dreams that lie pale, unmoving, some that stay dead, Some of which lay engraved in stone, A series of parallel universes exist within my head.

Galaxies of memories that weigh upon me like lead, Some of which beg to be set free and shown.

It is where it keeps the things unsaid.

I think about him and wonder about the instead, About how I should?ve told, how I should?ve known.

A series of parallel universes exist within my head.

It is where it keeps the things unsaid.

Q uinn H .

Resilient and noble, he stood true.

Poised to strike but with armor of glass But his pain and grief; no one knew Demons from darkness; all of which he slew All for her, the demons he fought to surpass Resilient and noble, he stood true.

H e stood at the gates, his strength anew T hen out she came, a symbol of elegance and class But his pain and grief; no one knew Let us escape, I have come here for you She stood motionless; stuck at an impasse Resilient and noble, he stood true.

W ith a glance, the armor of glass she cut through She watched as he fell, into the crevasse But his pain and grief; no one knew A poem of sorrow is what I tried to construe T he relationship died from her crass Resilient and noble, he stood true.

But his pain and grief; no one knew

HAIKUS Linda Z .

W ind carries me east, To the garden no one sees, Serpents dead on fields.

Br a nd o n W.

From the winter field, T he people turn into dust,

Jac q uel ine M .

And time has gone past Yellowed scruffy blades A nation of silent grass Whistling in the wind

A RT IST : A R YAK I SIN GH

SONNET Nat ur e Fl ees

By Ta mmy B. As seasons past subjected to age Blossoms within the bloom and grass Eyes alight upon a lovely stage So does the sand in an hourglass Flowering visions upon a day N aught though plucked from a vine Set upon a moment as prey Perennial does not define Weathering within the year Soaring high throughout the sky U nseen but as a spear Waving in the breeze goodbye As divined lightning strikes A tree grows evermore ?till yikes

ODES Jac o b R .

Jo sh ua C.

It is time To follow the light Don?t you worry--- the other side is divine Clouds and sunlight Shine bright in the sky Instead of rain T here falls candy T hat dissolves on your tongue Old family members say hi Previous pets jump in glee Excited to see you once again So don?t worry Everything will be fine See you on the other side.

As the lights fade away, extinguished for today you approach with pure darkness and make us feel okay.

N o worries? no stress N o one awake to fight As we come closer to the dead of night We feel at peace at night embracing the silence the stars in the sky keep us the only company we need It may seem lonely but the few of us have each other walking through the empty streets living as were all meant to be: free T he cool air, the dead silence some are home at peace with those they love others are working for a better future for them and the world But we?re all who we?re meant to be at the dead of night

& CONTACT nzaidi@ausd.net

zaidiw r iting.weebly.com @M sN icoleZ aidi

Credits and thank yous. D esigner: O nassa Sun. Teacher: N icole Z aidi