PUBLISHED POETRY

By Davonna Rodriguez -- I feel I always need to be doing a million things Or else I'm falling behind Or not doing enough My rock, my beach, my bean Comes and grounds me. Your curly hair Dark brown eyes Rough yet soft hands Hold me, secure me. The world can be so cruel Not understanding of where I belong But I always know I belong with you, You and orange, brown, and blue. Author Bio: Davonna Rodriguez is an English major, working to achieve her Bachelors Degree and hopes to w

By Wendy Mu -- Standing patiently On the table, in a proud form A bowl filled with harvests rich of light grown life Oranges, bananas, apples, grapes Once a seed, a sprout, a vine that drew from the earth, a masterpiece Of juice

By Miya Lee -- My head is going on a swim, Bumping through the emerald kelp. My ears are going on a ride, Wandering through the dull concrete. My knee is going on a jump, Bumbling through the muted sky. My eyes are going on a run, Staggering through the crimson heat. The journey continues on, and on, And on, Waves carving into limestone cliffs, Forming jungles upon jungles of sand Beneath an endless sea of tedium, Neatly wrapped up within one heaving Vessel Of green, black, b

By Miya Lee -- Cucumbers: crunchy, crisp treats Cut into its verdant flesh to find that it Contains clear, dewdrop shaped seeds. Author Bio: Miya Lee: Working on writing and publishing a novel in the not-so-distant future. Striving to write something at least once per day, both to become a better writer and also to get said novel finished.

By Jehan Z Bano -- Lack of greed and lack of fame I have liked this kind of frame Sublimity and self-restraint I have been trapped in a chip The heart that lives without a prick Life with no trip and trick Patterns of mind and clouds, and winds All that lies under the inner peace Author Bio: Jehan Z Bano is a student of language and Arts and has a passion for working on creative Writing. Worked as an intern in a software startup. Likes to read scientific journals, including f

By Nikole Donahue -- Invisibility is the easiest trick, which you can just snap your fingers and bring it into existence. ​It doesn’t take much. ​If you're touched and kissed by the sun, making you darker than a plum: Invisible. ​Still, there's a group of us today who get no love. No lust to be us. ​No, you can do it—popping on a handstand, thrust into backhand springs, front somersaults, trampolines. Applause! Applause! "Move to the front, please." ​All those with disabiliti

By Miya Lee -- Twirling as softly as a ballerina With limpid legs and artful eyes Into the dark stone cave To seek its treasures Hark! A dragon’s nest approaches Weave around the fallen challengers Aim for the weak spot, and… Dance, dance, dance Your way to victory, little ballerina Author Bio: Miya Lee: Working on writing and publishing a novel in the not-so-distant future. Striving to write something at least once per day, both to become a better writer and also to get said

By Miya Lee -- Swimming through molasses is To walking on glass, Which is to say you’re sprinting in rain until You’re trotting out your last refrain and Begging into the void but, They are long devoid of any sugar to Deploy. Author Bio: Miya Lee: Working on writing and publishing a novel in the not-so-distant future. Striving to write something at least once per day, both to become a better writer and also to get said novel finished.

By Joaquin Chavez -- When I'm dead; do not mourn for me. At my funeral, do not wear black. Do not bring white flowers, do not have any bad blood for anyone who will be there. Wear as much color as you can. Remember to laugh at the good times we had, the tragedies you and I endured, everything we have done for each other, remember the little things about me like the little things I remember you for. I wish for a world where people will not have to fear. Put that on my gravest

By Jehan Z Bano -- When sun rays are sharp Protect the eyes Otherwise Losing the sight When sun comes Earth swings Joy is imminent Protect your eyes From sunlight Cover your head Wearing scarf Otherwise Protect your eyes From sunlight Cover your hands mm With Rubbermaid band Otherwise Protect your eyes From sunlight Removes your shoe Barefoot Otherwise Protect your eyes From sunlight Eating rice Break your fast Otherwise Protect your eyes From sunlight Walking around Talking

By Grace Sumabat Estrada -- Artistic and creative, your style is comfy chic Resolute in moving forward, you leave nothing incomplete Interested in growth, your path is bright and wide Athletic and persistent, your strength is from inside. Nearing a new stage with potential in the stars, All of us are proud of the young lady that you are! Author Bio: I am a full-time Psychology faculty member and a proud alumna of Evergreen Valley College. Writing has long served as a creative

By Grace Sumabat Estrada -- O my love is Amelia Rose, Who was newly born in March. O my love’s like a melody, That gently steals my heart. So fair you are, my darling girl Your tender smile commands With snowflake breath and rosebud lips Sweetly drifting into dreamland. As long as waves blanket the ocean, As long as stars brighten the night, My love for you will ne’er dim, My arms will be ready to hold you tight! Author Bio: I am a full-time Psychology faculty member and

By Grace Sumabat Estrada -- How do I love thee? Let me count the ways I love thee with the bated breath of anticipation, Unburdened by shadows of doubt. I love thee with untethered confidence In your perfection and unquestioned clout. As the first of your generation, You’re the seed of unshakable faith. You’ll blaze your own path to glory, Setting your own tone and pace. I love thee with the peace of wisdom, Unbothered by storms that will pass. Trusting the stronghold

By Grace Sumabat Estrada -- Em’rald hills beckon Joyful return within reach Nerves beneath the scene Leaves crunch, trees asway Morning dew kiss greets the day Fresh role to glean Mem’ries cascading Friendly faces, welcome smiles Home at Evergreen! Author Bio: I am a full-time Psychology faculty member and a proud alumna of Evergreen Valley College. Writing has long served as a creative, cathartic space where I have found joy, meaning, and a voice during life’s more chall

By Yutzil Virgen -- Inside me, a fire burns– shadows whisper vengeance, fists of anger clenched around what once was sweet. My heart hides itself behind walls I built from fear, searching the echoes for the reflection of who I used to be. Once I was a warm river, a light that embraced, hands open to forgiveness, a voice that quieted storms. Now I walk among ruins, bitter like forgotten fruit, and I cry out to the heavens: “Do not let me fall.” I am the daughter of an eternal

By Yutzil Virgen -- I walk with both hands full– one cradling a flame, the other gripping darkness. The fire burns, a fragile warmth against the wind, reminding me I am still alive. The shadow pulls, a heavy tether to everything I've lost. I am both the lantern and the eclipse, both the hope and the wound. To love me is to hold both– the light I offer, the shadows I hide. And still, I keep walking with both hands full. Author Bio: Yutzil Virgen is a student at EVC who writes

By Yutzil Virgen -- We build our temple from trembling hands, stone by stone, word by word, until it reached the sky. But you set fire to it, until even stone learned how to burn, dancing in the glow while I choked on the smoke. Every vow we whispered, cracked and crumbled, falling like prayers turned to dust. Now I carry the ruin– blood on my palms, ashes in my hair, a cathedral of grief where love once knelt. And still, my heart insists on beating in the silence, searching

By Robert Beveridge -- She let her hair pile up put off the stylist once again looked in the mirror next morning found a chestnut mountain atop her head Author Bio: Robert Beveridge (he/him) makes noise (xterminal.bandcamp.com) and writes poetry on unceded Mingo land (Akron, OH). He published his first poem in a non-vanity/non-school publication in November 1988, and it's been all downhill since. Recent/upcoming appearances in The Bayou Review, Wireworm, and The Gilded Weat

By Charisse Smith -- I have walked through storms most people only read about. Foster care. Separation. Cancer. Silence. Each one tried to bend my spirit. But something stronger lived inside me. Faith. Not the kind spoken comfortably in bright rooms. The kind born on bathroom floors between tears and prayers. Every storm said “this will break you.” And every time I stood back up. Still breathing. Still believing. Still standing. Author Bio: Charisse Smith

By Charisse Smith -- They tried to silence her with reports. They tried to label her with diagnoses. They tried to confine her inside other people’s definitions. But they misunderstood the nature of survival. Some women collapse under pressure. Others become steel. She carried pain without letting it poison her. She carried faith through every dark season. And when the storms passed the world saw something unexpected— A woman who refused to disappear. A woman still rising. Th