Student Writing

Christine Moran
Samuel Flores
Mary Langmack

On Interstate 71
I discovered a new species
Just past Lodi
Where the traffic
Creeps through aisles
Of orange barrels,
Lying right there
On the side of the road,
Eyes cold and unblinking,
Insides pink and crushed
Against the dirt and gravel.

He was big as a deer,
But oddly shaped,
With a head like a female lion
And hooves on his feet.
I thought about all the new
Species discovered in exotic
Rain forests and in forgotten
Corners of the sea
And I started to feel loss.

As we trotted by doing 35
I had a good ten seconds to decide
Who he was, or what, or why
No one else seemed to care,
As they passed by on their way
To somewhere else.

This new animal had gotten bored
Of waiting to be discovered
And had come to us instead,
Only to be mowed down
And left to rot
On Interstate 71.

—Christine Moran

Lola*
You used to tell everyone how you held
Me in your lap on the airplane
When I was an infant, secure in a blanket
Like a baby kangaroo in his mother's pouch.
Your arms were my cradle,
Rocking me to sleep each flight,
Despite the turmoil of jet streams
Or Mama and Papa fighting.

Now I wait for you at the airport
And watch as the flight attendant pushes
Your wheelchair down the ramp to me
So I can put a blanket over your shoulders.
On the way home
You fall asleep in the van,
My cradle for you.

—Samuel Flores

*Grandma in Tagalog

Fox McCloud
I wanted to be the fastest creature on earth
So I could surpass all obstacles
That slowed me down,
Just like Sonic.

I wanted to be a spy,
Never letting down my guard
When a situation got rough,
Just like Solid Snake.

I wanted to be an inventor,
Creating artificial life With nothing but inspiration and tools,
Just like Lucca.

I wanted to be beautiful
And bold enough to hold
My own ground,
Just like Ayla.

I wanted to be a hunter,
Hunting and purifying the lost souls
Trapped by the spells of Dracula,
Just like Simon Belmont.

I wanted to discover ancient ruins
On an archaeological search for the truth,
Just like Lara Croft.

I wanted to be a fighting robot
All in blue armor
With a blaster for an arm,
Just like MegaMan.

I wanted to be
Half-human, half-esper (spirit),
Saving the esper race from extinction,
Just like Terra.

I wanted to be a cute yellow mouse
That would shock everyone
Who made fun of me,
Just like Pikachu.

I wanted to be an angel
Who would protect the planet
From the evil black material
Just like Aerith.

I wanted to be a skilled pilot
Fighting enemies of the blue sky
And of the black sky as well,
Just like Fox McCloud.

—Mary Langmack