elementia issue 9

Quoteworthy

By Eric Gunnarson

Let us lift that burden off our shoulders
And stand straight and tall.
We are and always will be
perfectly imperfect.


Quoteworthy

By Catherine Strayhall

Aren’t all heroes simply the sort of people we live with everyday?


Quoteworthy

By Catherine Strayhall

Before she even rested, it’s time to face the world again.
Some days she wonders: How many others fabricate their grins?
She takes a deep breath of air, and heads out to see what awaits.
After all, curiosity is always one of a hero’s best traits.


Untitled

By Hannah Jenkins

Drifting through the world
I let my thoughts wander
what if?
what it might feel like to know...

I kept thinking & wondering ‘til
I am walking out the door.
Head strong but emotionally weak
I let my spirit embrace those that were bad for me.


Untitled

By JDC Resident

I would want someone to
Not judge me
No matter what
Someone who I can trust
Talk to about anything
Feel comfortable around
Someone who will be there for me
When I really need them
Someone who “gets” me.


Untitled

By Alex Dodson

I walked into my room, setting my old backpack down next to my bed. One more, one more year and then I’ll be old enough to move out of this place people call a home.


Do I?

By Eric Gunnarson

Do I dare disturb the universe?
Indulge in the quizzical whims of questioning?
Sit on the throne of knowledge,
partake in the feast of Newton’s apple?
To eat the forbidden fruit,
and cast myself out of the paradise of ignorance,


Story of the Stone

By Blaire Ginsburg

Minor fissures,
Just hairline cracks,
Spread slowly
At first,
Fine lines on a
Smooth surface;
Creeping across a
Marble plain,
Barely making
A sound, but
Marking - scarring
- All the same.
See here, where


The Parasite Lives and Grows

By Rachel Franklin

Once upon a time Goliath fell.
They built buildings on his body
and David walked away without looking back
didn’t know his victory
until he moved
opened the door
to have his pebble drop at his feet
looked up and his apartment was


Ode to the Oddball

By Eric Gunnarson

There’s a simple liberating joy
In being different,
Being obtuse,
Having that little bit of self outside of normality,
Askew
People will either embrace it,
Or reject it.
Some will revel and thrive in their unlikeness,


Mirror

By Portia Miller

What does it tell you?
Does it tell you what lies in your heart?
It tells you what lies on the outside,
That’s for certain.
It tells you how other people perceive you.
How they label you.
You have feel the weight of those labels.


Silhouettes in a Crowd

By Catherine Strayhall

As I walk through these crowds day after day,
I see people’s silhouettes;
The stuff they’re made of deep inside,
The good or bad they try to hide,
And their joy or sorrow with every breath.


Wicked Discretion

By Hannah Jenkins

It’s not about what you told me,
but what I chose to believe.
Nothing feels worse than living
an imaginary dream.
And they occur so often and freely
whenever Satan creeps in.
By the time I breathe, and count to ten
it’s over and I have to start again.


Relics of the Past

By Michelle Chan

The peace the nations had promised
Some days that were gold
Now all fade into stardust
Disappearing with the old

Yet the Earth shock beneath them
Then the final warning rung
They whom nature condemned
Lost their wings because of the sun


Song of Ice and Fire

By Lauren McGrath

Stare into these eyes of flame

Warm embrace of blazing love

Wild animal you cannot tame

Feral beauty of gentle dove

 

Gaze into these eyes of fire

Scorching heat of kindled lust

Burning secret of past desire


The Difference Between Simile and Self

By Rachel Franklin

I have problems
and I’ll swap mine with you like trading cards.
Long lovely disorders go over the lips like chocolate
but honey, we’ve been writing about these pits of darkness
long before shrinks slapped name tags on them.


Hero of My Life

By Katherine Chin

Uncle Felix grew up in a small town called Shinzhu, located on the north side of Taiwan. His family was not able to afford extra clothing or toys or even to pay for his education. Uncle Felix learned to take what life gave him, and to always look on the bright side of things.


Hero

By Ashley Ruckman

A hero is different,
A hero is kind,
A hero can live,
By the thoughts in his mind,

A hero makes changes,
In the world for the best,
And seeks good in others,
That’s hidden from the rest,


No Hero

By JDC Resident

I always feel like I’m doing my best
but being put to the test.
People come and go;
No one ever seems to know.
They come in and
Leave so fast,
There’s so many
I can’t remember who was last.
I need someone to stick around.


Father

By JDC Resident

My Dad’s taken on many roles,
mother
father
martial artist
experimenter
business owner
gardener
I learn from him
he teaches me the real values of life
he’s prepared me to live.


Sister

By JDC Resident

Used and abused
Still standing strong
You are the one I lean on
Who knows how to turn it around
With me through thick and thin
No matter what, where, or when
The pain of being without you
Excruciating
Day by day, I’m deteriorating


There for Me

By JDC Resident

There for me, my dad
“No matter what,” he promised
By my side
Refusing to ever give up on me - no matter what I did
If everyone else gave up
My Dad would stand by me
Telling me he believes in me
Knows I am strong
To think positively


Unseen Hero

By JDC Resident

just
when
she
thought
no one
was
listening,
she hid
her face
behind
a mask
that she
hoped
would last.
Once
there
was a
time
before
she
broke
down
and cried.


Tell Them

By Portia Miller

Okay,
I’m going to tell them.
It’s been weighing on me for awhile.
Most of my friends know,
And they should know too.

But I’m scared.
So
So
Scared.


Fighting Blind

By Leah Payne

I scream
But no one hears.
The danger
Looming, perpetual nears...
The footsteps echo
In my ears
Closer,
Closer
Danger leers.
A dark silhouette
And merciless eyes
The fear in my stomach
Starts to rise.


Somewhere in Between

By Briana Hooper

Somehow you have found, where I was in the ground. I am there, I am also here. You have something new to fear. I’m not alive, but not quite dead . Though this is not what you have read. While light can be quite fun, I must avoid the world with sun. To walk the night is not quite what you think.


Darkness Inside

By Lauren McGrath

This darkness inside my heart
Residing in my pitiless mind
A fuel to a fire of ever-burning odium

That cutting sarcasm of such cruelty
The cold cynical aura that never abates
What is it that filled me with such hate?


Who We Are

By Blaire Ginsburg

Who dreams?
Who dares to enter such a realm?
Visions, fleeting,
Escaping with the waking flutter,
Living on bated breath
And translucent promises of
A world all your own;
A world anew.


An Everyday Misfit's Dream

By Catherine Strayhall

When you dream of becoming a writer,
You get stories embedded in your soul
Ideas of near and far-off lands,
And journeys down rabbit holes.


once upon a time...

By Breanna Snare

The gem did spawn of evil’s fire
The gem shall be his portal
He comes to claim; our time is dire
The end of all things mortal
His reign of evil, he did conspire
The gem shall be his portal.