Thanks to all who came out to read, listen, and support student authors at our first-ever live event at Amazing Pizza in Salem, MA, April 6th, 2024. We’re signing off for the summer, and looking forward to sharing more student creative work, and hosting another live reading, in Fall 2024. Continue reading First-ever Red Skies live reading was a success!
by Olivia Heenan I watched a woman with red hair say goodbye to someone she loved today She had a bundle of colorful flowers in her hand She got out of the car he stayed inThey were talking butwhen she leaned in to kiss him A car drove next to themI watched her lean out and hesitantly watch the car pass As if there was … Continue reading Love’s Watermark
by Olivia Heenan Such a weird feeling being trusted in somebody else’s home without them there Looking at someone’s life beyond what I know It would be odd if I asked the story behind the rooster rug in the kitchen Or the inordinate kitchen table that folds out into an oval but right now it’s just a rectangle and I’m staring at the two half … Continue reading August 17th, 10:32 PM
by Olivia Heenan I wonder if he thinks of me on Thanksgiving When he touches the four corners of the earthI know he doesn’t celebrate such a boxed-in idea But on the off chance he sits at the table With some lovely host inviting him to the painfully Caucasian holiday I wonder if he feels my silver skin His hand reaches up to raise his … Continue reading February 9, 9:36 AM (Her Key)
By Olivia Heenan (After Wendy Cope)Tonight I watched the sun dip under the tide Orange glow diffused the evening skyI attempted a blurry picture that didn’t quite capture its lightI still kept it hoping it would simulate this nightThey never really do The drive home was silent no need for radio buzzI knew this road imprinted on me like a tattoo grown over with fuzz … Continue reading The Orange
by Cindy Salinas Abuelita, perdónameI’m here now touching the green grassBut you are over there floating freelyCan you see me studying in the libraryCan you hear me talking Spanish confidentlyAbuelita, remember when I would mail you figurines on ChristmasRemember when I would buy you anything I could affordRemember when I would beg you to come to the StatesRemember when we would talk on the phoneAbuelita … Continue reading Perdóname
By Cindy Salinas Sitting in the moving train waiting for… six more stops. Ugh. I open up my phone and change the song. I put on “Pink + White” by Frank Ocean. I look out the windows. Pitch black with a reflection of me. Floating, dead eyes. Beside my reflection, I see another woman looking back at me. I turn around to see her sitting … Continue reading Tunnel Vision
By Kaley McLean I look in the mirror, see a tall, brown-haired woman. But she doesn’t look like me. She looks sad and angry at the world. Her eyes are small, point down towards the ends. I thought my eyes were big and beautiful. Her teeth are gapped with slight discoloring. My teeth are straight, with a slight overbite. Her body is curvy, with a … Continue reading The Mirror Of Lies
By Fatima Al-Abbasi there is a funeral home across the street, familiar tune embracing the wind like that of a melancholic memory. you too remember that distinct smell, and when death herself passes you by, i can see you clearly. when she visits you, remember that funeral home across the street then for a brief moment, you’ll see the crescent shadow hiding amongst the veiny … Continue reading There Are Strangers In My Home
By Dane Shiner Here we are again at the Bog. Depression Bog. Born circa 2012. Sluggish and tired, but with twelve hours of Bog sleep. Just sinking into a void from lying down in bed all day. Not dressed, not bathed. I look, smell, and feel like Depression Bog. Offensive, damp, acidic, maybe some fungus, without all the environmental significance. Just Boggish. Being a Depression … Continue reading Bog
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