SESE Volume III

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2020

ese S VOLUME III

OF THE LIFELINE

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ICIAL ART F O

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2020

Sese VOLUME III

OF THE LIFELINE

FROM THE

Editor's Desk

Hello, Phoenixes!

This is another year of us fighting for survival. Where we want our voices to be heard, where we strive for freedom of expression.

With everything happening in these trying times, may SESE, the official artfolio of the Lifeline, continue to be a platform for us to tell our stories, to express our emotions, and to inspire other people.

SESE has started on 2020 aiming to foster, nurture, and cultivate our inner artists selves. May this project continue to be an avenue for everyone to express theirselves and be an inspirations to other people.

This is your Creative Director and Literary Editor, Signing off

Janella Rome F. David Creative Director and literary editor

LIST OF ARTWORKS LITERATURE 134340 WHEN THESE DAYS ARE OVER

adiel 4:35 AM CALL GRAE WITH COLOR SHATTERED SUMMER SCARS THE TRAVELER WHO FELL IN LOVE WITH THE SEA

adiel and ryujin SHOWER THOUGHTS STARS THE METAPHOR OF LIFE

aiaeeie HAPPINESS IS

Byeol HAPPINESS THE PLACE WE SOUGHT TO LIVE INTO

Sese

Gabe T. A CADAVER IN THE MAKING THE ANATOMY OF LOVE

Hugues RIDDEN

jww.

MON CHÉRI

M.A.N COMPLETE

Selenophile EUDAIMONIA

Sky EVENTUALLY FIRST OUR SECRET BOX SUNRISE

PHOTOGRAPHY Chlow. Ver FILIPINO RESILIENCE

GRAPHIC ART Chlow. Ver HUMANS AND FLOWERS

VOLUME III

Don't forget to smile in any situation. As long as you are alive, there will be better things later, and there will be many - Eiichiro Oda

WHEN THESE DAYS ARE OVER

by:

134340

The smile’s long been kept in the drawer Day by day, my head falls lower Who I used to be, I can’t seem to clearly remember; But lingering on is the somberness that grows when the day is over

Don’t get me wrong, solitude’s a friend But in isolation also came an unfamiliar dread I must tend The thoughts are overwhelming, and silence can be so loud When the day is all over, just me can be a crowd

But as mountain tall as the sky can be wavered Afflictions, too, will surely be conquered Some favorite symphonies have faltered but never will I When the day is all over, I keep my hope strong as the storms in July More than a million minutes came and went And I have already passed on uncountable laments Light seems to have begun breaking in the horizon’s bleak torment When these days are over shall I cry an inscrutable hurrah after the undreamt

4:35 AM CALL You're my 4:35 am call, that I would likely take, even when my voice is still husky, eyes still close sleepy, and I'm most likely grumpy.

You're would hair

my

4:35

likely

bed

and

am

take, don't

call even like

that with

I my

morning

calls to attend.

You're my 4:35 am call that I would likely take, even when my head is still on wonderland, my head says wake up stat just like a command.

You're my 4:35 am call that I would likely

take,

cause

hearing

your

voice first thing in this so called morning makes my heart shake and ache.

You're my 4:35 am call that I would likely take, because I'd love to see you on a cold morning and receive a tight hug that is so much warming.

You're my 4:35 call that I would likely take, even with my heart flashing red signs calling up raising a warning.

by:

adiel

GRAE WITH COLOR She's a little angel dressed with four legs and a fur We named her grae, because that's what we prefer She has one of the cutest faces that you will be seeing She's my little ball of stress reliever that I always like hugging.

She likes to do funny faces which kept us all laughing And one of the most annoying voices but kept on resonating She talks a lot when she's angry, like almost human approach And hates when her stuffs are used like almost getting encroached.

Happiness feels like heaven but can't last all the time And while writing this poem all I can hear now are bells and chimes It's hard to let go of all the dearly things you'd like to stay But time will really come that it has to be taken away.

Time may be short with us and now you have to go How I wish I could slow down time and prolong what was borrowed Your name may sound so dull and blue yes it's true But it's the opposite and I want you to know, that grae there was never such a moment with you.

by:

adiel

SHATTERED by:

adiel

I see pictures of blue, black, white and gray It’s like they’re meant to tell the colors of my life today…

Suffering from all the pain And always the one who is in chains

Random thoughts just kept on bugging me Certain things just pops out unevenly Forming a big pile of mess

Piece by piece I tried to pick it up

Scattered on my head like pieces of broken glasses

Knowing the fact that I’ll be hurt with just a single touch

As the dim of the night passes by When I bring myself to bed and start to lie The feeling of emptiness starts to linger inside of me The tears I tried to hold back starts to fall my eyes And there I ended up with a silent cry

Losing up myself is something that I’m sure of Playing the role of being fine is the game that I’m good of Fake smiles, silent tears I laugh out so loud to cover all of my fears…

Can someone please help me?

Because this misery is eating my whole entity Can someone take this thing out of me?

Because I’m slowly losing my identity

I’m so tired of being in this way Can someone tell me how to make this pain go away?

Let’s say that this is a form of veracity But please help me, before insanity slowly kills me

SUMMER SCARS Little lies, she tries, but ended up with silent cries…

It was night time when she found herself sitting Her mind filled with thoughts which came creeping The night may be silent, but the voices in her head continues screaming “Everything feels like yesterday, I hope I’m just dreaming”…

The sky looks sad tonight she whispered Puzzled mind and heart, there were no words to be uttered As the dry summer wind touches her skin “This feeling reminded me of memories almost like paper thin”

She puts a pair of earphones to comfort herself with the music she presses to play But sadly things didn’t go her way When the comfort she was aiming turns out to be doses of reality With every word coming out from the song felt like swords which stabs her heart slowly

It was painful. I was hurting.

I’d be lying if I said that every bit of pain is not excruciating The wounds cut so deep And all I can do now is to silently weep

She wipe her tears away with a wish upon a star Just let me love you from afar Until these feelings faded Until my broken heart mended

by:

adiel

THE TRAVELER WHO FELL IN LOVE WITH THE SEA

e showed me a landscape which he took a few years ago. I was left in awe that it was the beautiful sea. I was fascinated by how his love for traveling and capturing sceneries revolving around nature came into life with just a single picture. The way his words played by his lips tells me what a beautiful journey he came on and see; how a traveler once fell in love with the sweet serenity of solitude and how the darkened skies paint the scenery with different hues of gray, how the sound of the rough sea calms all his troubles inside and of course his favorite part in which he told me that the sky may not be clear, but it’s something that makes it mysterious.

H

But just like every good beginning, everything must come to an end. Footprints are the only thing you can leave behind, but all the memories will stay with you all the time. Just by the way he tells me this story, I know he was in love, he was in love with the beauty of the sea. It was perfect and he was at peace. by:

adiel

SHOWER THOUGHTS

As the water rushes down the faucet, ideas flow from her puzzle of a mind.

A mind filled with mystery with a spark of hope. Lost in the thoughts of the past, present, and the future, she began to grab a hold of the soap forming a bubble. A bubble that represents fragmented pieces of realities, separated by gaps of intertwining timelines. Little did the bubble grow, she moved carefully not wanting it to pop. But just like the piece of reality she was taught not everything you have can always last. A barrage of realization came into play. Something must be done; while I am able, I must pursue happiness.

Thoughts started filling up her mind. Happiness... she then whispered to herself, of what word in this world can fit the meaning of the word happiness? It was deep and was very hard to describe, she uttered. Then slowly asked herself when was the last time I was happy? I was never happy, but instead, I was plagued with bitter sadness, engulfed with flames of misery. I ask myself again. When was I ever happy? For so long I've yearned for something superficial that I cannot attain. It was drowning. Those were the only words that came to speak. Happiness felt like it was a moment away, but it seems like it's always out of my reach, cause being happy usually scares me.

Isn't it ironic how small things can make you happy for an instance and make you cry for a long time? Twisted fate I guess she whispers to herself once again. After all the thoughts I've pondered. I recon happiness will ever come by. Happiness is for those who deserve it.

Oddly enough I was never gifted with the sensation of joy. But instead, I was gifted solitude.

by:

adiel and ryujin

STARS THE METAPHOR OF LIFE

As I gaze into the sea of the vast space I spot something shimmering. It resembles precious gems we normally find on expensive pieces of jewelry. Somehow this thought made me smile. It's quite nostalgic. I don't know why. Suddenly a thought came into mind, back when I was a little I still remember how I loved looking into the night sky, how every night I would always wait for a shooting star to come and pass by. Saying my words of wishes to an uncertain claim of an innocent mind. It's kinda funny how I wish I could regress to the time I still have my innocence before it was swept away by the responsibilities we have to accept. I was again reminded by the show of the stars a moment ago while I was sitting and pondering outside our terrace.

Somehow life and stars resemble something, like a metaphor I guess. Stars glow up and age like a normal person should be and as we age we are filled with duties and responsibilities. We all have those moments where we experience different things.

Moments of bliss and difficulties, moments of silence, and our minds always scream. But amidst the darkness that we experience, we should always be like a star that shines the brightness even through the darkest of times.

by:

adiel and ryujin

HAPPINESS IS Was it my heart throbbing seeing my love?

Or was it having my prayers answered by the One above?

Was it those butterflies playing inside me?

Or was it that smile so wide, so free?

Was it eating my favorite ice cream?

Or was it about being able to chase that dream?

Was it some shopping and pampering?

Or was it a lazy day spent sleeping and chilling?

At first, I thought happiness was a person That pink and sweet moment when you smile for no reason That light and surreal feeling of being in your love's arms Those hugs and cuddles that even the coldest night warms Then, I thought happiness was an object Like when you aced that test with a mark in green that says "perfect" Maybe it is when you buy that limited edition bag you've saved up for Or when you finally get yourself a puppy you can adore I also thought happiness was an answered prayer When you get what you wished for, you start to feel better When things are manageable and destiny seems to favor you You can help but think this is happiness so true

Then, it came to me that happiness was achieving one's dream It may be a championship for an athletic team A 1.00 for a struggling, sleepless college senior Or a new house that an average family has always longed for For some, happiness means doing nothing A motionless day spent binge eating Some Netflix and chilling not minding how much time has gone by And some K-drama galore making you laugh and cry It took me a while to understand completely But happiness isn't defined finitely Happiness is not just a person nor an object It isn't just a dream, a prayer or a scene so perfect It is freedom and empowerment Freedom to choose where your heart's content Empowerment to do what makes you happy And to choose self and not be guilty

by:

aiaeeie

HAPPINESS by:

Byeol

My professor asked the class, "What is happiness for you?"

I tried looking deep inside my soul and search for my own meaning of happiness.

Is it when you've achieved all your goals in life?

Or being able to enjoy what you have now in life?

Is it being able to do ride the trend around you?

Or being able to do the things you love freely?

Is it being able to fit in the standard of society?

Or being loved by who you truly are?

Is happiness can be defined by the things we have in this world?

Can we still be happy if everything we know in this world is taken away from us?

As I go deep, submerging myself with everything I have been through, I've come to realize that happiness is cannot be defined by the things I have.

Happiness Happiness Happiness Happiness Happiness

comes in many different forms. is a choice that we need to choose every day. is all the simple things in life. is the thing that we learn from all of our mistakes. is being able to live without those what-ifs.

Happiness does not define us, We define our own happiness.

As Albus Dumbledore said "Happiness can be found in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light"

THE PLACE WE SOUGHT TO LIVE INTO

I dream of a place where everyone has the same heartbeat A place where there is freedom, Freedom from all the lies the world has trying to feed its people, Freedom from the chains that pull the people down, Freedom from the past keeps blinding our future.

It was only a few months ago when that dream is almost our reach Hope came and visited my logging heart Hope makes every dark place lit Hope opened every eye and made the heart speaks Hope moved every heart into the spirit of giving and helping Hope feels like inhaling fresh air Hope is freedom A lot has welcome hope, but many are still blinded and choose not to let it in We let hope pass our land But hope left us with a gift, A gift that let every open eye remain open and A heart that will never stop fighting until we won Until we reach the place we sought to live into.

by:

Byeol

A CADAVER IN THE MAKING

Y

ou studied me like a subject, examined me like a cadaver” I said to myself as I rub throughout my breastbone, as I feel the excruciating pain of realizing how he detached my heart as I fell in love. I guess this is the reality of the different systems of love; it’s diverse anatomy. The form of intimate, the familial love, it’s vision of hope, and its metastatic effect that makes you feel the taste of death. It decomposes your heart, corrupts your mind, and dismantles your whole being.

We study love a lot. It's nature, how it forms, and why it is significant in our lives. We examine its anatomy, in the pursuit of us to live with it the fullest. I thought I have learned the anatomy of love already. But he made me realize that this anatomy of love is indeed complex.

Pain stopped me from understanding the anatomy of love. His words and presence made me stop doing the things that I loved to do the most back then.

He studied me, for his own sake. For his own growth, and his own experience.

Our love was a test subject--- a one for trials and a one for the books.

I still remember how he used me as a test subject. Despite these, he found out the truest meaning of the anatomy of love.

Maybe my sacrificial love was worth it. For he found the definition of love.

A definition of love that he would carry for a century, remembered throughout his lifetime, and be passed on to the next generations.

This is the anatomy of love—a story where I was the subject.

by:

Gabe T.

THE ANATOMY OF LOVE

My bones are safe, knowing it belongs to you My world has changed, and it’s cradled by the comfort that is you.

Your electric love conducted my cardium, Causing synaptic lapses, over my cranium.

My lungs are filled, by the breath of your existence Catching every cycle, your warmth across my throat Our breastbones sparks, the sensation I’m longing for Your breathing became a rhythm, unforgettable like a tune.

My synapses relapses, over the lost concept of us Because I still feel you, now and then Slow like pseudoephedrine it devoured my system.

Fast like inotropes, your love became my drug.

A rush at the beginning, a slip from my tongue An incision at my sternum, the bleeding did not halter You studied my parts and crumpled them like a paper You caressed my brain, over the anatomy of love.

O’ the anatomy of love, Absurd as life, complex as my body systems O’ the anatomy of love, Curable as a disease, inevitable as death.

by:

Gabe T.

RIDDEN by:

Hugues

I’ve always favored pitch-black places; Heavy curtains, rarely opened, not even a shadow of faces; Humid air, fuzzy hair, my breathe could never escape these trenches; Warmer and warmer by the touch, damper and damper by the blotch.

Still, these hands would not pry its clenches.

Just wrapped around the sheets, yet the wheezing repeats; I’ve no business to tear, of that I’m aware.

The ground whispers it, factual, with that I can’t compete; So why stand, when this wooden frame completes.

Eventually, these feet has to join the earth, these hands has to open the blinds; Yet, I fear the scratches and bruises, of the burning and blinding, of the skin and eyes.

Slumber is my love affair, and only in that can I step with my feet bare.

I worry that my legs will result in atrophy when it bathes in the open air.

Sometimes an infinite sleep is what I yearn for; Too dark? Well, I already saw cracks on the floor before.

I’m not supposed to say it, probably explains why there aren’t any knocks on my door.

And if there ever will be, I’m not sure I’d want to open it. Why ruin the silence, when I’m nearing on evermore.

MON CHÉRI by:

jww.

I’ve kissed a statue before T’was quite like you, actually Cold like white winter marble Eyes cold piercing through my heart I’ve kissed a statue before It spoke to me wordlessly And I remember how we talked Perfecting planets in each other’s breath

I’ve kissed a statue before And even if it knows what I’d do for you Angels know that I’d give anything to you Mon Chéri, I’d give up anything for you I’ve kissed a statue before And I remember you are now just a memory I was mesmerized by thoughts of you But now is the time to let you go

COMPLETE by:

M.A.N

Years back, I was a shattered glass Shattered and thrown on the gray grass An empty pot, missing and incomplete But never did I stop; my heart tells me not to retreat then, your radiance led me to a path You are my peace and silence in moments of my wrath Now I’m directed, fueled, and alive Never will I seize till my last breath For you are my beginning and my end

EUDAIMONIA by:

selenophile

Once I was chasing the people I love so dearly to the dark, I was hunting— I stumbled that hurt unbearably Seeking for something That would unfetter my melancholy soul free Through time I came across it. a sense of inner peace and self-love; Indeed, a dose for genuine happiness As it brings the heart and soul in tranquility.

Now I wait for where its potency takes me And see how far I've become and yet to be Happiness isn't only about our belongings nor people we love As genuine happiness should come from within us

EVENTUALLY

Even if I can’t sleep The moon continues to hide The sun will continue to rise With light shining through my eyes

The world never stops for you It’s unfair and never considers you No matter the pain and sorrow It just turns for a new tomorrow My world stopped when you left But this world continues to mock me Tells me to keep on living That I should move forward and start forgetting I kept crying my eyes out But I’ll eventually stop And that scares me to death That one day I really will forget This hand that I kept holding to In the end, I had to let it go My hand felt empty but one day, I’ll find another hand to hold

Even though I sit and stare The clock moves forward Unchanging white walls But the day moves onward Flowers will bloom in spring And withers in autumn Snow falls in winter And melts in summer Things will keep changing Days will keep ending There will always be new beginnings And life just keeps on going

by:

FIRST by:

I was the first to hold your hand As we walked in the street Never letting go Until we had to I was the first to kiss you Heart pounding so hard Beating too loud Do you hear that sound?

Every night I close my eyes Wishing I was still in love That you still needed me That I still needed you

There is a war in my mind Telling me I was a fool to fall in love It tells me I should give you up Tells me there are no regrets in a dying heart You needed me to be there So in my arms, I held you Trying to console you It’s all I can give you I was the first to have you I was the first to hold you I was the first to love you Yet I was the first to let go of you

I was the first to love you but she will be the last

OUR SECRET BOX

I opened up our secret box Where all our greatest treasures reside Where all our stories collide Where all we ever loved survived I kept holding on to this secret box I’m still holding on Even though it’s been so long Even though our time is gone I picked up trinkets from our secret box A box used to be filled with the best of our hearts Now it’s only with smaller pieces Nothing left but broken parts It’s unfair how you never let me say goodbye Even if it’s for the last time Even though it would be more painful Because this goodbye would last a lifetime It’s unfair how you’re in the stars Which we only saw from afar But I’m stuck between light and embers Never knowing that 6 feet would be so far As I close our secret box Putting it away in dark shadows While the sun shines bright for a new tomorrow In contrast to my grieving and sorrow

by:

SUNRISE

Soft rays of light filter through the window Creating a warm palette of orange and yellow Colors complimenting two messy figures Letting the sun play with different hues Tangled bed sheets, and pillowcases Mixed with dark hair and tanned skin Dust shifts through the curtains This calm feeling pulled me in The hues of the morning sun Highlighting the freckles on flushed cheeks As you wake up, long lashes flutter As deep beautiful brown eyes start to wonder Why did I remember these now?

These memories flash as you told me to stay When you told me “It doesn’t have to be forever” When you told me “to never fade away” I gave you a piece of myself Not realizing that I would not handle the loss In such indescribable and sublime loneliness I only wanted you to be there I wanted to protect you from fate The fate that tries to take you away But nothing I did made you stay drifting further and further away

by:

FILIPINO RESILIENCE Laptop, books, wallet, face shield, and face mask. All objects are stacked one after another. Seashells can be seen in between the objects. Dramatic lights were used and the tower of objects can be seen being reflected among the scattered seashells. This is what my photography is, a photo that looks melodramatic yet conveys optimistic insights on the situation of Filipinos amidst our situation.

I used the concept of objects stacked together forming a tower. This exemplifies the continuous dilemmas being thrown at us emphasizing three concerns. (1) the struggle of students and professors on e-learning as we are forced to cope up and adapt to the new system. (2) the pandemic that thrown thousands of people into turmoil as they lost their jobs and forced us to adapt a new lifestyle. (3) a wallet representing how families struggle to buy all their needs every single day.

Yet, rather than giving up and crying on the corner, Filipinos chose to fight and live. Hence, seashells are seen on my photography symbolizing the admirable resilience of Filipinos. This photo aims to commend every Filipinos who showcased their resiliency towards these continuous waves of problems.

No matter how wild the waves are, like seashells, we will continue to survive and be wonderful. We will be resilient!

by:

Chlow. Ver

HUMANS AND FLOWERS Humans recognize love in different colors, different ways; like how each flower has its vivid color and beauty. Humans profess their love uniquely; like how unique a flower's meaning could be.

And so, we are all flowers, each having our language of love.

This artwork of mine is inspired by the art movement, fauvism. I admire the “wildness” and “chaotic” vibe that fauvism brings, far different from other art movements. Having the freedom of choosing the color you want is like a game for me; it gives the feeling of looking forward for something. I love how the vivid and bold colors produced, could easily attract the attention of its audience, trying to tickle our minds towards the beauty of art.

Humans and Flowers, would be the title of this artwork as I want to compare the language of love on human beings to that of a flower. I believe that similar to flowers having their own symbolism, we humans define love differently.

Individual differences, they speak; we all love uniquely.

Insights. Love can be expressed in so many ways, and art is the best medium to show and convey our feelings within. Art is truly freedom, helping us to tell our feelings when words alone are not enough.

by:

Chlow. Ver

Sese VOLUME III

Sese VOLUME III