January 2020

By: Danielle Hannah V. ArandaArtwork by Samantha Denise Torres This is for you, not dedicated to the dead… where bones and flesh have met their end and degraded into dust and stone — this is yours, this is yours. Knock the ink to spread the floorboards and leave your untouched work to flicker until dimmed. This is

By: Kamille PangantihonArtwork by Chris Harold Medina Oh, how majestic the deep blue is! Both beautiful and dangerousWith fishes swimming along with the waves And snakes hiding beneath the caves  Truly, the ocean is a vast bowl of mystery But what is happening to its beauty? The heart of our planet, the giver, the protector Is now losing the colors of its home  Once populated with vibrant hues of innocence,Now polluted with a man’s negligence Why do we

By: Kamille PangantihonArtwork by Samantha Denise Torres  Twenty years have passedAspirations were then categorizedThe ambitious, the achievable I wish I could play againAnd dream againLike a carefree childUnbounded by limitationsFuelled by imaginations I became so good at building my dreamsThat reaching them became too difficult, it seems I was tryingIt was tiring To walk through

By: Danielle Hannah V. ArandaArtwork by Paula Tongol The slow rustle and creak The high-pitched whisper of friction as weight shifts in your seat There is an explosion on screen, and a woman is crying Accompanied with the failed containment of chips Shattering in the 7-year-old’s mouth “Whoa!” a magpie on scenic view lands on a barren branch—someone just

By: Jaime Gabrielle PojolArtwork by Chris Harold Medina A fingertip away from a dream Holding unto the end and slipping into the darkIt felt so relieving to just let goTo just forget about the pain and sorrow   The temptation to just fall and be consumedSo afraid and lost within the cold abyssI don’t want to lose

By: Jaime GabrielleArtwork by Angelo Robles Perfection is key for a project to pass with flying colorsA wordy explanation to cover all the detailsA story that’s picturesque for the reader to visualize the beauty of words Heart-warming, heartbreaking are the plots that captivate usA fictional story that enraptures usIt tickles our senses and plays with

By: Jaime GabrielleArtwork by Samantha Denise Torres Lesson One: When Good Things Fall Apart Seize the moment as it happens. Use several senses to ensure yourself that this is real and you’re experiencing it because that’s what I’m doing… Hey, I’m Gabriel Parker and this is lesson one based on the experiences I had gone

By: Danielle Hannah V. ArandaArtwork by Angelo Robles Even your thoughts are tatteredThe innocent and naive urgency of the heartThe stars dictate that air does not feelBut your still breath disproves their predictions  Pace your beat, it might echo loud enough to be heardCompose only yourself and halt your fingersBefore they dedicate another ballad Convince

By: Danielle Hannah V. ArandaArtwork by Paula Tongol Your mind exudes brilliance unlike any otherAir whirls into portals, bridging mine to step into the psyche of the world itself I find myself peeking into the lens of the world Every microscopic view for nothing gets past You, all-encompassing and spiritually drivenHighways come alight with your rapid