SNAPS 2022

SNAPS

LetterfromtheEditor

Dearreader,

InmyfirstyearasamemberofTheCoterie,Ihadthepleasuretoeditpoemsfor ourthirdandfourthSNAPSvolumes.Now,asPresident,Iamthrilledtobring thiswonderfulpublicationbackandsharethecreativeworkofmyfellow students!

SNAPSwascreatedfortheloveofpoetryinallitsforms.Writingpoetry,tome, istheintimateabilitytosharethoughts,feelings,fearsanddreamswithyour reader,bridgingusalltogether.Iloveapoemthatsimultaneouslytakesmybreath awaywhilegivingmeanewsenseoflife,andeverypoeminthischapbookhas accomplishedthisandmore.Fromlovetoselfrealization,familytotheworld aroundus,thispublicationspeakstoallthespacesinourlives.

Withthat,Iwanttothankmyamazingteamforassistingmeinreintroducing SNAPStoourWesternwritingcommunity,aswellasthewritersfortheirwords andtheirtrusttopublishtheseworks.Ihopeyouenjoythefifthvolumeof SNAPS.Happyreading!

Editor-in-Chief DestinyHopkins

CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS

AnOpenLetterToTheRelativesAtThanksgivingDinner 5 AskingMeIfIKnowWhatI'mDoingWithMyLife

By Isabelle Siebert

Man'sGreatestTrick 6 By Isabella Buckley

ThereIsNotMuchPoetryForTheSpeechless 7 By Katherine Barbour EmptyHouse 8 By Vanessa McLeod

TheFatalistAndTheAntiHero 9 By Chloe Cheung

ISpeak(For)TheWind 10 By Adam Bento

Blistex 10 By Ava Raemisch

WhereHasTheWinterGone? 11 By Victoria Schroeder

Women'sGreatestSuccess 11 By Helena Nikitopoulos

Cheeks 12

By Lauren Bell

FromNewRoots 13 By Ethan Shi InsideOut 13 By Siddharth Maheshwari

Beyond 14 By Ann Ping

DrawnToTheOcean 15 By Kiersten Fay Skeleton 15 By Abigail Scott

TheHerenessOfItAll 17 By Ameena Abid

GoneAndFinished 21 By Syed Wahib Mohammed Rizvi

Here'sToKeanuReeves(APoemForMyBestFriend) 22

By Gray Brogden

Abundance 23 By Pujita Verma

TheABC'sOfLondonTransit 24 By Katherine Barbour

AnOpenLetterToTheRelativesAtThanksgivingDinner AskingMeIfIKnowWhatI'mDoingWithMyLife

ByIsabelleSiebert

First Place Winner of the SNAPS Poetry Contest

Ihopeyouknowthateverytimeyouaskme, youpushmejustalittlebitfurther, untilTruthandIbumpelbowsatthetable whileyoudissecttheleftoverbones oftheFamilyApprovedOptionsformylife.

Yourknifeispractised. Youhavecarvedupplentyofturkeysinyourday, andnieces,nephewsandgrandkidsaren’tallthatdifferent. Justsharpenthebladeofyourquestionssoit’llmakeacleancut andletyoufigureoutexactlywhat I’vebeenhidingundermyskin

Inallhonesty,IwishIcouldspillmyguts, setmythoughtsoutonthetable withthestuffingandthecranberries. Inbetweenmouthfulsofturkeyandpumpkinpie, Icouldletyouhaveatasteoftruth andconfessI’vemademypeacewiththeemptyroad. I’veshookhandswiththeunknown, butyou’renotreadytohearthat.

See,youcookthesamemealyourparentsdid, andtheirparentsdid,andtheirparentsdid, andIambeginningtothinkthatallofushavebeenfedonlies aboutwhattypesofdinnersandlivesdeservecelebration. Yes,it’sThanksgiving,butI’dbecontentwithgrilledcheese, justaslongasIwaswiththepeopleIloved.

MaybebyChristmasIwillhavethecouragetotellyou thisiswhatI’mdoingwithmylife: Iamtossingthemenutothewind, Iampickingcoursesastheycome, becauseIknowwhatmattersisnotthemeal butthepeoplesittingnexttomeatthetable.

man'sgreatesttrick

ByIsabellaBuckley

Second Place Winner of the SNAPS Poetry Contest

man'sgreatesttrickofforceisthathelikestoforgetheis usingit comeherebaby harktheangelscall ineverfanciedmyselfadisciple mykneesaretooweakforworship butwhenHecallsyouwouldhavetobeafoolnottolaybyhis feet nottobendoverorcontortyourselfintomagazineadholiness nosensibleplacidgirlcandeny youknowilikeitwhen youdon'thavetobut comeoniknowyouwantto iknowbyyoureyes it'sinyourhands it'sonlyfair isittheapplebiteirepentfor isitthewideningofmyhips isittheripening fatherforgiveme mywomanhoodiscardinal

Thereisnotmuchpoetryforthespeechless

ByKatherineBarbour

Third Place Winner of the SNAPS Poetry Contest

It'shardtowriteaboutyouwhenIspentasummernevermeaningwhatIsaid. Likethattime,whenthesun’sorangehazecreptoveruslikeburningtide, andIaskedyouwhattimeitwas. WhatImeanttoaskwas: How long can you hold me? Howlongbeforeyoufeelmyheartbeatagainstthecaramelofyourskin, andyouhearthefrantic,achingthrumofmypulse.

Thereisnotmuchpoetryforthespeechless. Ican’tthinkofanymetaphorsforthedayyougotanewhaircut. Thereisnocarnationrustyredfortheflushthatcreptupmyspine Nomoonlightsilversilkforyourvoiceintheshower Orexposedwiresizzleforyoureyesoverbreakfast Thedinersmeltofketchup,grease,andcaffeineandyouwerethreeseatstoofar

It'shardtothinkofsimileswhenallthebluntedges ofsyllablesarestuckonmytongue. Mouthfullofdeadweightwordslike stay

What are you doing today?

Your smile tastes like morning coffee. I dreamt of you last night. Do you think of me when I leave?

I may want to love you but I’ll never give myself the chance. I’ll miss you. Goodbye.

Inowrestintheraysofregret,1025silentmilesfromyou. Thereareonlywordsnowthatkeepmewarmatnight TheonesIneversaidandtheonesI’llneverhearinreturn Theysleepnexttomeonmypillow, tuckthemselvesinbesidemeaswecountthehours. Iknowthatoncethesunsinksbelowthehorizon andthesnowflakesfalltotheicyearth, theywilllaywithme andcountthemtoo.

emptyhouse

ByVanessaMcLeod

drip drip drip theleakyfaucetgoes. smokebillowsfromthestove myskinshiveringinthepricklyheat feelingtheashlittermysurroundings asisitinthemiddleofthekitchen unmoving

theroughnessoftheair travellingthroughmylungs thejarringsensation cursingmythroat iwillfullytastedthesweetyet utterlybitteratmosphere gulpingdowneachdroplikeitwasmylast consumptionisfreeing. acceptanceispower. iimaginedtheglowofa cosyfireplace itswarmthengulfedmysoul nevermindthedetector itdiedoutyearsago afterall,what’stheharm inbreathing?

TheFatalistandtheAnti-Hero

ByChloeCheung

youcanfindheavenandhellinmymind trytoescapebuticomecrawlingbackeverytime thinki’mafatalistnow irunbutican’thide everytimeicommitacrime igetsohighlikeit’sagoldrush

thisneverendinggameoftugandwardrivesmeinsane butithinkimightbeaddictedtothepain it’slikeeuphoriarunningthroughmyveins isayi'mdonebutineverchange

i’dlietomyselfifiwasn’tsotired i’dsay“i’msosickofallthegoodguys thinki’mgonnarootfortheantihero intheendit’sallthesame neitherofthemcansavetheday soimightaswelljusttearthepage burnthebook leavethestage it’snothingbutasickjokeanyway”

butlatelymymemory’sbeenshowinguphazy andsometimesmyimaginationscaresme empathymakesmecrazy thinki’mlosingmymind whenthevillain’slookingliketheniceguy

wishicouldturnbacktime butevenifItrytochange everything'salreadypreordained Iguessi'mjustdestinedtobetheantihero

ISpeak(For)TheWind

ByAdamBento

Itspeaksofyouthandcherriesbeingcuratedbythefarmer’sgentletouch. Berriesandcherries soripeandbeautiful lushingwithflavourandsoftwithcalories. Thehills,thecreeks,themountains,therivers,andtheseas.

Itknowsitallandtellsitall. Itcreasesaroundeverymillimetre everycrevasse. Itknowsalltheircomponentsandaspectsthatitcanrecounteverysingularity. Lifeanddeatharenotofanyworrywhenaccounting.

Everythingblends,creatingthenewastheimpossible. Thewindiswhatbindsloveandlife.

Blistex

ByAvaRaemisch

Iputblistexonmylipslikeyoudid; Smearedandsmotheringrightbeforebed. Irememberthetasteofourgoodnightkisses. IsmellitbeneathmynoseasIsleep. Itsstenchmakesmedelusionalenough Tobelieveyou'retherebesideme ButinsteadIwakeuptoacoldspotandalightermattress

SoIsmearandsmothermyself

Withtheblistexonmynightstand AndpretendI'veawokenfromyourkiss.

wherehasthewintergone?

ByVictoriaSchroeder

mymotherspeaksofskatingoverfrozenponds, iremembersnowovermyfouryearoldhead, myfathershovelingpathsforsmalldogsthatsankintothesnowdrifts. whenimovednorth,iwaspromisedmoundsthatwouldtoweroverthedoor. whereisit? whendidwetradesnowandicefortornadoesandwildfire? willthechildrenandtheirchildrenbeabletoplaylikeidid? howcanimakewintermemorieswhenitisdyingalittlemoreeachyear?

andwhendidithappen? didthegrownupsnoticethatthewinterwasgaspingforbreathandignoreit? orisitonlyhittingthemnow? whendiditstarttogo? wasitwhenwelearnedrottingtreescouldfuelironfreights? wasitwhenwelearnedthatLittleBoyandFatMancouldpoweracity? whenwewenttospace,didwebecomeIcarus,burninginourdelightedmadnessforfreedom? ordidwebringthesunbackwithus? …canwesenditback?

Women'sGreatestSuccess

ByHelenaNikitopoulos

Whenyoutracedmyhips,yousaid, Your body is so feminine Awoman’sgreatestsuccess

Cheeks ByLaurenBell

whenIseemycheeks, round,redandrosy, Iwanttoseealittleprincess, blondepigtails,missingteeth,andfrillydresses, happy. but instead whenIseemycheeks, Isee13, unevenbangs,thunderthighs,andmean,sosomean. hesayslazylazylazyandIsaystupidstupidstupid. Isee16, unmedicated,lonely,alone. theysaybitchybitchybitchyandIsayfatfatfat. Iseedaddy, andthenthey’rejustanothergoddamneduselessthingIinheritedfromhim. and whenIseemycheekbones, Iseemom, bigbiglaughandlove Idon’tsee drawnoutsmiles,holloweyesockets,andfuneralinvitations why whenIseemycheeks doIseealltheoldmes,and notthemeIam,or themeI’mbecoming?

FromNewRoots

ByEthanShi

Love

Isasharedsecret

Aconfession

Withwordsfallingtotheground

Iletyouin

Myhandstremblinglikefrailbranches

Readytosnapatanymoment

Ihandedyouthematchsticks

Waitingforyoutoburnmedowntomybrittleroots

Untilonlymytearssurvivedtheflames

Instead

Youplantedanentireforestwithinme

Bringingcolourandlifetoaplace

Thathadonlyeverbeenhalfinshadow

Fromnewroots

Theflowersgrewbraveenoughtocomeoutofthedark

Andbloomtowardsthesun

Andforthefirsttime

IfeltlikeIcouldbreathe

BySiddharthMaheshwari

Sometimesmybodyfeelswoundwrong

Mybonesfeeltwisted,likethey'reinthewrongplace

Cryingouttome,longingfortheirrightplace

Layingparalyzed,whilemyinsidesscream

ByAnnPing

whatisitaboutfallingsnow thatbringssomuchnostalgia aswavesofskyrollovertheocean tojumponsilverpebbles andlandonthemoon’sskin

whatisitaboutyourvoice thatmakesconchshellssing asongoffarewelltolosttime asongsoquiet thatwaterbecomessand whatisitaboutfreedom thatmakesloveswim throughtheveinsofatricklingstream thatflowsdownthefaces ofabrokenstage andwhatisitabouttragedy thatsteersashipwreckedheart towardsasiren’scall beneathspeckledwhiteskies thatdonothingatall

Iknowit'sprobablyjustanxiety ButthisfeelslikeIneedachiropractor Tosnapmybodybackintoplace Orbreakthemallsoitfeelsthesame

Sureithurts Butthere'snothingtoshow It'salloverahalfhourlater AndIsmileintothemirror,seeingperfectnormalcy

Nowheretogo,nothingtosay Theclockskeeptickingandtocking Idon'tknowhowelsetosay Ifeellikeadeadmanwalking

DrawntotheOcean

ByKierstenFay

Iwadeoutintotheocean (mythoughtsconstantasacurrent). Iamdrawntoits p u s h i ngandpu l l i n g asitrefusesto STOP kissingtheshoreline(nomatter howmanytimestheydepart). Suchserenebrutality Myheartisariptidewhichpullsmein todepthsIamafraidnoonecanpullmefrom, thereflectionoflightasickeninglysweet liquidgold ebbingandflowing eventuallydrowningmyentireself,asthe wavestumble d o w n .

skeleton

ByAbigailScott

there’snotmuchleftofmeanymore. i’mjustacollectionofmemories,now: dustyremnantsofsoftnessandlife. littlemorethanan unflagginggrin,allteeth;a fewleatherysinews;the whisperysoundofthe wind,whistlingthrough thespaces betweenmy ribs.

i’mwindchimebones andemptyeyesockets. because i’vebeenwalkingforlongerthanicanremember. myheelsareburnishedsmoothfrom theendlesssandrockgravelishuffleover, grounddownbytheslowwearoftime idon’tknowwhy istartedonthisjourney,but idon’tthinkitwasfor therightreasons,and ican’tstopnow. i’mintoodeep. i’dliketoslowdown,though. ifican.(ihopeIcan.) theseoldbonesaretired. because,well—whoknows? maybeifi’mlucky somethingwillcomehometo roostinmyribcage buildanestraisesometiny,peeping beginningsintheshelteriprovide yes icaneasemygait. icanbesolid. icanprotecta scrapofinnocence ortwo. mystoryendedlongago.allofthatisover. but… isuppose icanstillbegoodforsomething afterall.

Thehere-nessofitall

ByAmeenaAbid

ThereistheMajorObliteration, bombsandbrokenroofs andcountriesfledpastmidnight Therearethefireswecanpointto, thedestructionthathappensinrealtime presentedinglorioustechnicolor onamovingscreennearyou. Theliteraldeathsthatweturntowhenweaskourselves whatmatters? Theissuesweallowtomatter.

Andthenthere’stheMinor Obliteration, thatrobsusofliterationitself. Tearsthesentence andrendersusspeechless. There’sthetensionheldinnervousshoulders, there’stheauntthatspentayearasaPOW, thegrandfatherwhospentsometimeunderabridge Theholetorninthetapestryofourlives, thegriefscarefullywrappedandpasseddownlikeweddingchina There’sthesiporcutthatallowsustotemporarilyobliterate thecognizanceof beinghere.

Whiskeyglassesforsome,hiddensafetyrazorsforothers. Therearethenotesperceivedassolow thattheyarebarelyaudible, especiallynotinthefaceof theexplodingshells.

Iamtalkingaboutthe sleeplessnightsthatonecarriesoutofawarandintoasuburb, thebonechillingachethatpersistslongafterspringhascome, thestuffwecarrybecausewesurvived. Iamtalkingaboutwhathappens whenwebecomesafe: webeginhurtingforallthethingswecouldn’thurtforthen

Thereareallthequietpangswetellourselvesdon’tmatter preciselybecauseofthebombsandthebrokenroofs andthecountriesfledpastmidnight.

Thisimmigrantkidlivesherlifeunderabrightersun. Thefamilyacheswhisperedinsecret, alwaysattheperiphery, neveratthecentre There’stheskinthatwasalwaystoolightandalwaystoodark Thepotentialpainthatcomesfrom Whereareyoufrom?

Theansweristhatwearegeographicchimaeras,existingwithmanypartsbelongingto differenthomes.

Thehurtswetoldourselvesdidn’tmatter becauseourparentshaditrougher andsodidtheirparents andtheirparents andtheirparents.

When do we let ourselves hurt?

If I trace it all back will I find the answer?

Wewalkaroundwithblownopenhearts, plastictarptapedtoourchest tokeepthewindblowingpastus insteadofthroughthecallousedwallsofouropenchest

Asan18yearoldwhodidn’tknowwhatlosswas, Ibelievedimportancecouldbefoundintheglobal on a global scale is what matters (I thought) Hardlyrelevantwasthelocal, andbylocalImeanthehousenextdoor, thebestfriendwiththebrokenheart, theparentwhotellsyouthey’re fine. The tense shoulders and the restless nights, the hurts that our bodies carry because our minds cannot.

Ithoughtthatitwasthepoliticalthatmattered, internationalaffairsperhaps, greatbooks, whatonemightcall worldly

Itisthelocalhowever thepersonal,theperceptible,theimmediateperiphery ofourownlives(whatsomecall trivial) thatmakestheglobalmatter.

Itwasalwaysthestoriesbroughttomydoorstep, thatchangedme Alwaystheconcrete, nevertheabstract Icanplayintheworldofideasallday butit’sfeelingIneedtoreturntobyday’send.

Itisnotalwaysthelongrun, thegrandscheme, themosaicthatwewillneversee,thatmatters, butthattimehonoured hereandnowwhich matters.

Theverydefinitionofmatterbeingthatwhich exists. (Takes up space.) Andthatiswhattheactsofobliteration, theonesweobserve, theonesweremember, andtheoneswedotoourselves, robusof Wetellourselveswearesmall, andbecausewearesmall ourtroublesmustbesmalltoo, butonahumanscaletheymatter.

TherearemanypainsIhavebeengenerously exemptedfrom, thingsIwritefromimaginationinsteadofmemory: bombsareone, brokenroofsareanother. IusedtothinkIwasfarawayfromit, Iusedtothinkthatinthefaceofactualannihilation nothingelsereallymattered.

Imovedfromtheairyworld ofnewsarticlesanddebate tothewaterinessofsocialwork. Heartoverhead, orattheveryleastboth. Andintheprocessofbecoming andgrowing realiszedthatit’snotthesizeoftheissue, butit’simmediacythatmatters.

How much does this hurt right now?

Inagarbagecanonenight mygrandfatherburnedallties ofmyfather’sfamilytothehomelandtheynevermeanttocallhome, fromEasttoWest, theycrossedborderlinesthatdidn’texisttwodecadesprior. Pakistan theycalledit.

Underabridge myothergrandfather cutsacredhairfromhishead, nevertoreturntotheturbanagain.

Acrossanoceanmyparentsmoved askids, workingtheirwaytofindingeachotherat20 Livingasinsideoutsiders outsideinsiders.

Andtheyhadme, achild, frommanycontinents Icome. Thisiswhytheanswertowhereareyoufrom canneverbemetwithoneplace.

Andtheyhadme, theimmigrantdaughterwho didn’tknowwhatshedidn’tknow.

Whatinthisstorymatters? WhatI’mtryingtotellyouisthateverythingheredoes Nothingistangential.

InfaceitistheHEREnessofitallthatmattersmost, thefactthatwearehere andhere andhere. Everywordspokenisanactagainstobliteration. Everywordwrittenisanactofdefianceagainstthecrythat nothingmatters

Becauseeverythingwehurtformatters. Itmatterstoyou, makingitmattertome. Itispreciselybecauseourheartscanbeblownopen thatitmattersthatourroofscanbetoo.

Itistheherenessofitall thatmakesustheoppositeofthevoid. Thenownessofitall thatmakesitallfelt. Itistheactofexisting thatimbuesuswithmatter.

GoneandFinished

BySyedWahibMohammedRizvi

Whatlevelhavewefallento? Wheretoevensaysomething,awayweareshooed

Thevoiceofjusticeonlyremainsinafew Therestarecompanionsintheevilthatsocietybrews

Theperiodofthought,toexpresshasbeenbidadieu PaperwithLincolnisallwhathumanswanttopursue

Remainsilentinfrontofinjusticeanddontspeakthetruth Isthiswhatsocietyhasfallento,likeatamedmule

Thosewhoarequietinfrontofoppression,doyouthinkyouareshrewd? Theattitudemustchangeordaysremainlesswhensocietyisdoomed

Onemaysaywhysobitterisyourview AswhatIhavedescribedisverywelltrue

Theworldhasbeenheldbythepowerofthefew Thechangeofthisbeginsinthechangeofyou

Here'stoKeanuReeves(apoemformybest friend)

ByGrayBrogden

Here’sto20yearsoldswhohaveneverbeenkissed andyetstillgooutonaFridaynight

Towardrobepanic

TomidnightMoulinRouge

Todrivesinthecar whenthecitysparkles likeitmightstillhold somethingnew

Here’stolibrarystudydays andpapersweneverhandinlate

Toshelveslinedwithannotatedpaperbacks

Toallourbookboyfriends

Tostorieswereadandrereadandreadagain untilwordsdippedinromance echoroundourheadslikea promiseoraprayer

Here’stosketchbooksthatfallapartattheseams andlipbalmlosttothebottomsofbags

Toespressobeforelatenightmovies

Topopcornsharedacrossarmrests

Towalkingdownthetheatre'sfrontsteps justalittlebitmorealive thanwewerewhenwe walkedin

Here’stoKeanuReeves andAdamDriverandAndySamberg

Toboyswholikedusbutweretooscaredtoadmitit

TofailedTinderdates

Toconversationsthatdiedinaday butstillmadeforagoodstory overfrosteddrinks andfondue

haveyouevertriedsohardtomakesomethingwork &yet,youwerecertain,ifyouturnedtheotherway towatchtheantcarrycrumbsoverahill, youcouldturnback

&callwhatyouhaveabundance,youcouldturnback&pretend youweremorethananemdashonconsecution,thissuccession ofsentences must leadsomewhere,tomorethanfallingin line&thisislargerthanlife,thisisasilvercart &itwillnotkeeprollingifyoudonotpush. youhadoncestopped atthesightofafragment(ofatimethatwill notreturn itneverdoes) butthenyoupickeditup, rolledthesliverbetween thumb&forefinger, gaveitaplacetorestitshead. didyouknowitcouldnotbethefirsttotextyou. itdoesnotwonderaboutyourday, (themountainsyouscaledbeforeasupermarket) &maybeitcouldnotspeak,orvoicethefeeling offleetinglove(afterall,itisjustawhisper), &maybeitdoesnotknowtoholdyou overitshead,saying look at what I brought back, can you see how far I would go to keep this one close

TheABC'sofLondonTransit

ByKatherineBarbour

Askingthepersonnexttometopullthewire

Backofthebusclaustrophobia

Claustrophobiaatthefrontofthebus

Downtowntraffic

Existentialdread

Fullcargothatmocksyouasitdrivespast

Geriatriceyesthatboresintomysideprofile

Herbalperfumethatseepsfromtheporesofthemanwithabeanie

IhopeIdon'tmissthebusIhopeIdon’tmissthebusIhopeIhope

Jazzdancesaroundtoesandshoesasweapproachmystop

Kineticenergyfromthefrictionofastranger’sshoulder

Laststoplimbo

Missingthebusmania

Noisecancellingheadphonesthatcancelnothingatall

Onrouteanxiety

Pleasestoppleasestoppleasestoppleas

Questioningifit'sjustbettertowalk

Resolvingtowaitregret

Sittingnexttotheoldmanwhosekneebrushesminemorethantwice

Twiceinoneday

Universitystudentstatuesunitedatthefront

Velocitybetweengasandbrakepedalthatplaysgameswithmybalance

Waitingonthestreet

Xraystareofthemantworowsdownwho

Youneverwanttolookbackat,likeyou’rea

Zooanimalforcedtobepartoftheexhibit.