Kids in Love for the Rest of Time / Niños enamorados por el resto de tiempo

By Adriana Gonzalez-Ibarra, Staff Writer

I never would have thought to see kids in love for the rest of time

That's probably one of the most wholesome experiences one could ever have 

Is to be with the one that you have loved since you were children and have your own life together

There was a time where I didn't have the representation of love that was healthy growing up 

Then I realized I did I just wasn't paying attention to the little things 

That love was the love my abuelo and abuela shared with one another 

They were kids when they meet and have been inseparable since then 

They knew they were kids but knew a love like theirs would last for the rest of time 

Then before you knew it they had kids of their own that were formed out of the love they had for each other 

Each of them are special in their own way that made them the parents they were and with that taught their children what love was supposed to look like 

I always remember my mother telling me stories about my abuelitos and how their love was something that was one of a kind and that she wished for this experience in her life 

Then I would always tell her that she gave birth to someone that loved her just as much and she would always laugh and smile and say, "yes mija I did"

Now to think that 53 years with someone is not enough time to love someone in my opinion 

Because since my abuelo lost my abuela in April of this year he still makes time to go see her 

Which includes him crossing the border every day with roses just to see la alma de su vida

And nothing has ever broke me enough until my abuelo told me that he sees her every day 

Por qué ella fue la amor más especial en su vida para siempre 

And I cry for him every time I think of my grandparents 

They were 15 and 16 when they met and fell in love 

Then without a doubt got married when they were 16 and 17 on May 19th of 1969 

They may not have had the most elegant life but it was one full of amor that they only understood and it showed to those around them 

They were one another’s peace and chaos and it was one of the most beautiful things that they experienced which I saw growing up 

My abuelo was always so gentle with my abuela and she was only ever calm with him and the people she truly cared about 

Their way of showing love was something I look for even in my own life and I catch myself imitating them especially for those I deeply care for 

Those people know who they are 

They had all 5 love languages and always showed them to each other without hesitation 

There was a point in my life where I knew that I wanted a love like that 

Because whenever I talk to my abuelo about my abuela

There is this look in his eyes that still lights up as if it was the first time he saw her 

He never fails to tell me that she was the love of his life and wished he had all the time in the world to hold her once more and to tell her that he loved her with his whole heart 

They were simply who they have always been for 53 years 

 Niños enamorados por el resto de tiempo 

Beast

By: Blanca Hitchcock, Staff Writer

This beast is all consuming. It waits until I have shrugged off my clothes, brushing off the cold air and ice that has stuck to my dry skin.  

It waits in secret, letting me toss my shoes into their stale dusty pile.  

It waits patiently, while I scribble mindless notes on the cracked yellowing pages of my secondhand books. 

It waits while I furiously scrub off my insecurities in the scalding gray water that flows from the rusted showerhead. 

 It waits less patiently now, while I paint my face with numerous creams and sticky gels. 

It waits out in the open, as I slowly climb under my linted bedsheets. 

It waits until I see the black from the inside of my eyelids, and then the beast climbs on top of me. 

It’s boney claws scratch at my legs and arms, drawing blood on my neck. 

It creeps into my mind, consuming my matter. 

It inhabits my throat, swallowing the air meant for my lungs. 

It expands in the chamber of my heart, pulsating, throbbing, tearing. 

Finally, I swipe at the tears flowing down my patchy cheeks. 

Another night this beast has won. I will die tonight and be alive again when morning comes.  

Goodnight beast, I might miss you when I wake.  

Hurricane

By: Madie Paskos

I’ve always loved thunderstorms 

Especially when I was younger 

The pit patter of the rain was so soothing 

This love continued to my teenage years 

Where I met a boy in the form of a hurricane 

How Long Is It?

By: Vivian Pham, Staff Writer

How long is it since you’ve come home?

How long is it since your last meal with your family?

How long is it since you’ve felt like home

And allow yourself to be surrounded 

with the people you love.

How long is it since the last time you’ve talked to your parents?

How long does it take to notice wrinkles on their eyes?

How long is it since the last time you’ve said “I love you” to them

Before bedtime like you always did when you were four?

How long is it since you’ve hugged someone

As tight as the wave

And as gentle as the forest?

To love and be loved,

To give and be given,

To go and return from the chaos

To be the person you truly are.