Category: Junior Literary

they’re a façade,

continuously going through the motions of being that trophy family.

when family is over, 

the gears shift and the smiles appear and their mechanical voices drone “i love you.” 

prized husband wraps his arms around trophy wife, 

he lies through his teeth to those around him.

“i’d give her the universe.”

the gears turn again and she smiles blankly.

everyone smiles.

scholar son is going to Harvard, as it should be.

his record’s clean, unlike his cousin’s,

whose record is filled with arrests for vandalism and his grades aren’t high.

he’s been in the hospital one too many times.

“i wish failure was like scholar son.”

scholar son only laughs and says there’s no way.

the gears shift and his charm increases;

everyone drools over scholar son, they want him as their own.

beauty queen daughter steps down the stairs grabbing everyone’s attention.

she’s the envy of all women for her programming is flawless to them.

less fortunate flood her presence and admiration seeps from their sockets.

a mechanical smile etches it’s way to her carefully structured face,

programming says to muse them.

“no one’s perfect, but everyone’s beautiful in the inside.”

false hope she pours into their souls. 

beauty queen daughter has big bank from modeling gigs. 

the gears turn and she looks down on inferiors.

the gathering leaves and the programs stay for late dinner.

vanity and superiority is served on a platter;

they leave.

the programming shuts down.

trophy wife is in the living room, killing her lungs with cancer sticks and self deprecation.

how much do face lifts cost? how much do tummy tucks cost? how much does his presence cost?

prized husband is sipping a beer miles away with the 12th woman this week. 

“you’re the only woman i love.”

that’s the phrase that gets her love to flare his internal desires.

scholar son is in an alleyway, filling his lungs with hypocrisy.

ignores the calls from the girl who cares for the being that looks just like him who’ll never know his face or touch.

he hopes his cousin is better.

beauty queen daughter is posing as cake face on the corner of the street.

arms are out and exposed so the hungry can help add to the mini needle holes that blanket her arms.

no worry to her, the modeling agency taught her what brands conceal the marks perfectly.

 in the morning, they’ll all return to their mechanical home,

rebooting and recharging until they’re ready to open their doors.

because everyone wants to be inside mechanical homes.

 

 

 

Well, my favorite month is over now, but I’m still in the fall mood. Though, I type this while currently wearing a Christmas sweater… But that means nothing. There’s now a bite in the air that was previously missed in October, and now it’s November, so you know what that means! 

Gobble gobbling, turkey-eating, belly-stuffing, kitchen destroying, Thanksgiving! Honestly, the only way for me to get into the spirit of Thanksgiving is by watching a bunch of cooking videos. Now, Chloe has seen my habit: watching cooking videos while I’m hungry. I don’t know why I do it, but I enjoy seeing the creations, so I guess it’s like I’m mentally feeding myself? I’m not exactly sure why I do it. However, not all of them are Thanksgiving “themed”. Most of them have been from other cultures like Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, French, British — just to name a few. I like watching all these videos because it gives me an idea of what I’d like to make one day. Most likely, my family wouldn’t eat it, but my best friend and I would have a blast making it! I’ve made crepes for Mother’s Day one year, and my family loved them then. Even my picky little brother enjoyed them. My sister… she’s another story. My dad liked them as well, though through the process, he was nagging me. But that’s what he usually does. 

Anyways, Thanksgiving. So I have this app called “Tasty”. Tasty is basically a YouTube channel that started their own app that shows all their videos they’ve made. They have this thing called “Tasty-est Thanksgiving” which is just a collection of recipes and hacks for Thanksgiving. I think I’ve watched almost all of them, but mostly the ones that I would consider making.  

We don’t have many traditional Thanksgiving traditions (like breaking the wishbone from the turkey) in my family, but we do usually congregate at someone’s house. That’s usually my grandma’s house, but sometimes we’ll have family come over to our house. We also have themes, sort of, of what kind of food we’ll make. One year, we did more cookout/Cajun foods, and another, we did finger foods, so stuffing was not on the menu that year. I wonder if we’ll have a theme this year because I haven’t heard anything from my parents yet. I just know that my dad wants to fry a turkey. I swear, he always wants to fry a turkey. But I think I have a few ideas of what I’d like to make. Now, if I actually get to make something is a matter of finances. 

If there’s one thing I know, it’s that people are more inclined to watch or read something when given an incredibly vague description of it. Here are the shows I’ve watched/enjoyed.

1. Stranger Things

While a mom hangs up Christmas decorations in an attempt to find her son, a child running loose in the town steals waffles and flips a truck with the force.

 

2.Galavant

A man comforts the king, who is going through a divorce. In his sadness, he trades his horse for a lizard. The lizard, Tad Cooper, becomes his only friend. The king accidentally obtains a legendary sword while two princesses have a rap battle.

3. Trial and Error

Larry accidentally skates through blood, and gets his skate wrench confiscated.

4. Zombie Land Saga

A group of zombies has to constantly hold back one of their members from eating the audience at their idol group concert.

5. Danganronpa: The Animation

A stuffed bear causes trouble in the residential school for the most talented kids around. I cant believe its not butter.

6.Miss Kobiyashi’s Dragon Maid

A drunk woman unknowingly hires a dragon to clean her house.

7.Ghost Stories

A group of middle schoolers take their overly religious friend to the haunted abandoned school. The cat is mean to everyone.

 

Sailor Moon

A group of magical planets change clothes and punch people with glitter.

 

I hope this has, in some way, inspired you. let me know if any of you watch any of these shows, and if the vague description seems accurate!

 

Watching, waiting for the stars

I wish to see them align just once

Play me out a path to follow

Give me direction to my fate

Dance for me, distract the mind

Give me life, or let me die

 

If I were to have to die

I dream of hypnotizing with the stars

To become a part of the universal mind

I do not believe in death just once

I want a thousand times with fate

A million choices to follow

 

I wonder what choices I must follow

To a thousand times die

How it might feel to converse with fate

Ask them if I can join the stars

Even if it is only just once

That would give me peace of mind

 

Is it even possible to have peace of mind?

Conflicted with what choices to follow

I only get to make that millionth choice once

Then there is the question: will I ever die?

What will I become after I join the stars?

Things to ask might I converse with fate

 

Sometimes I think I can hear fate

Or perhaps it is not but my mischievous mind

But I swear they let me feel the stars

Whispering what choice to follow

Foreshadowing how I will next die

I would like to know the truth for once

 

I did not believe once

The possibility of fate

But then I began to see the universe die

The thoughts melted into my mind

Now I am careful what choices I follow

I pray for the gift of the life and death of the stars

 

If fate presents with the choice to die

That choice my mind will follow

I will then hope that they will once choose the stars.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my race and what it means to have so much melanin pigmenting my skin this brown-red color. I’m more than proud to be what I am and I claim it to the fullest. I love the culture and learning about my ancestry. However, I was really conflicted when I was younger. I’d grown up in a predominantly black community, but I always felt different from my peers. They would listen to rap music and watch reality TV with their families, while I listened to Katy Perry  and watched anime at night. It didn’t just stop at peers either. I remember going to family gatherings and somewhat feeling a little set apart from everyone else. My aunts would comment on how I talked like a little white girl and as I grew older and developed my own sense of style, they talked about how I dressed like one, as well. It was all poking fun but after a while, I became irritated because I couldn’t be me without seeming not black. I felt kind of self conscious cause I didn’t act black.

How the heck does one act a color though? I wasn’t aware that you could cause if that were the case, I’d definitely act blue. That is one cool color. Literally. I hate to break it to people, but, you can’t. It is not humanly possible to act a color. Acting a race is just another form of saying act your stereotype. Is that really what people want to say? I don’t think so. This isn’t just an issue in the black community, but in many others. A lot of this happens in minority communities and children become conflicted because they feel like they don’t belong in that community unless they listen to certain music, dress a certain way, or talk or certain way. They become misguided and believe that those things actually define their culture. Now, let me say this. There’s a fine line between following your culture and following a stereotype. 

For example, using slang is not culture. So when someone speaks properly, it is not that they’re being “white”. They’re simply just speaking English. It’s so irritating that communities will make members feel cast out or different, whether it be intentionally or unintentionally, just because they don’t fit into the typical stereotype of that ethnicity or race. No. One. Can. Act. A. Color. You can only act a stereotype. Not matter what your race is or the pigment shown on your skin, everyone is different in their own way. We are not meant to be the same. We’re allowed to have our own style or speak our own way. There are no specific standards that we are meant to meet when it comes to being ourselves. So, no. I am not acting white when I speak properly, and he’s not acting or trying to be black when he listens to trap music. We’re just not being a stereotype. 

mother

mother knew it was the end

she was beginning to mourn

her lungs were a swimming pool of sorrow,

but in it, i found beauty

after all, rain made flowers bloom

the only thing to do, after a fall is to rise

 

the first thing she did the morning after, was rise

she couldn’t believe that that had been the end

she could feel the sadness bloom

mother told herself not to mourn

mourning had no beauty

all it had was sorrow

 

all she had felt for a while was sorrow

the sun would rise

she would cake on her beauty,

and would wait for the day to end

her mind was still wishing to mourn,

but her heart was looking to bloom

 

she found joy again in watching peonies bloom

she pushed aside the hurricane of sorrow

and the desire to mourn,

and instead decided to rise

that was the end

it was time for true beauty

 

the garden is where she found beauty

watching life bloom

made the pain end

like the sun, i watched her rise

a new being who would no longer mourn

 

i had watched her mourn

i had watched her fleeting beauty

i had watched her pick herself up and rise

i sat with her and watched the garden bloom

i sat with her through moments of sorrow

and i was there for the end

 

for my mother to bloom with beauty,

she had to mourn and accept  her sorrow,

but know when it was time to end, and rise.

She says she needs time to figure things out.

That there are parts of her that are broken,

And a clocks work will piece them back together.

 

She says she needs time to find the missing pieces.

As if two won’t be a bigger search team.

Like the odds won’t be greater.

 

She says she needs time to heal her open wounds.

Because being alone in doing so will work wonders.

And barbie doll band aids will close the gaps between the two.

 

She says she needs time to find herself.

As if you don’t already know every part of her.

Even the parts she tries to hide.

 

She says she needs time to be alone.

Like the space she’s held over your head for the past month,

Was all a figment of your overthinking mind.

 

She says she needs time to find a good reason to leave you.

Because being straightforward and honest isn’t what you want.

And playing merry-go-round games is your favorite pastime.

This blog is inspired by a thought that’s been on my mind a lot lately. 

Do you remember when you were younger, everyone asked you this one question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Of course because you were so young, you wanted to be anything that could save or help people, right? For example, you may have wanted to be a firefighter, a police officer, or a doctor. But we never hear about the kids who want to be a therapist, or a psychiatric nurse, or even a janitor. These jobs still exist though, don’t they?  

I say all of that to say, for some of the jobs that people settle for, no college degree is required. So, are we making it okay for our youth to unknowingly inquire that they do not need a college degree to be successful? Don’t get me wrong, some families are wealthy enough to live graciously without working hard, but what about those families living paycheck to paycheck? It is not possible to break that cycle, if no hard work is being put in and by hard work, I mean college. But like I said, we’re doing this unknowingly. I have a few suggestions to fix this.

Let’s not steer away from asking kids what they want to be when they grow, continue to ask that, but let’s follow that question with five more questions:

1. What are the requirements for that job? 
2. What if something happens where you cannot fulfill the needs of that job physically anymore, what is your Plan B?
3. If your Plan B deals with using your brain, instead of your body, what college are you going to? 
4. What will you major in? 
5. What’s the pay difference?  

Depending on the age of the child, they will most definite not know the answer to any of these questions. But if we contentiously ask them these questions, they’ll have some type of motivation to go and research the answers. That’s a step closer to getting our youth to be greater than us. A step closer to breaking the cycle. A step closer to them gaining more knowledge. But we can only get there, if we try. 

I know this method works from personal experience. My mother used this method. By middle school, I could tell you what I wanted to be, what I could  be, the pay of both jobs, what colleges offered that field, and so much more. Come on, America, let’s make the generation better than ours. 

Dear Kai of the past,

Hey, it’s me. Your older self. I know Kai isn’t your name, but it will be what you go by when you get older. You’re probably wondering why I’m writing to you. It’s because I have a lot to tell you.

I know growing up seems scary. You’re going to dread hitting double digits for the first time, and from there, you’ll dread turning eighteen. I’m not eighteen yet, though- I still have a year to go. But that’s beside the point.

You’ll grow up being the perfect child. You’ll make good grades, and you’ll be confident in yourself. At least, for a while. You’ll begin to fall behind in Spanish class. You won’t do so well in biology. And you’ll start to doubt yourself. Don’t put all your self-worth on your grades- or maybe you already have, and I’m writing to a slightly-older version of myself than I had thought I was.

In any case, you’re going to change. Your hair will grow long, and then you’ll cut it off and donate it to charity- twice. You’ll want to paint your nails black, and you’ll have a mixed relationship with makeup. You’ll start to have fights with your dad because you want more freedoms than what he gives you. Trivial things will seem like important things. You’ll probably make several mountains out of the smallest molehills.

But don’t worry. At this time, most things have worked themselves out. You know that art school that you drive by when you go visit your grandma? You’ll be there someday. Yeah, you won’t graduate with your old friends, but you’ll make new ones there, and they’ll really accept you for who you are.

You’ll learn more about yourself. You’ll learn your favorite color (purple), your least favorite color (pink), your favorite temperature to eat pizza (cold), and you’ll learn what a mitochondria is (the powerhouse of the cell).

Change can be scary. You’ll still be nervous about moving into the dorm, and you’ll worry about grades until the end of time. But don’t worry too much- you’ll have a high enough ACT score that you’re sure you can get into college.

Oh, and one more thing. Don’t be afraid to express yourself. Don’t hide what you feel. Speak out against injustices. Tell your parents when something they say hurts your feelings. And for the love of God, be nice to your sister.

That’s all I have to say. I hope you have a nice childhood.

Love, your older self.

P.S. That shirt you lost is behind the desk in your room. You’re welcome.