Alyxandra Sarik

     When Lee woke up to the sound of drapes being pulled across the window, she knew she was in for a bad day. Please leave me alone , she thought, burying her pounding head underneath a pillow.      “Why you sleep in middle of day!” Her mother’s shrill voice erased any chance of returning to her slumber.  “I will have no lazy daughter!” Although Lee might have expected this when she was a teenager, she was an adult now.  She had a husband and a house of her own.  Why was her mother even here?      “Just go home,” she said, unmoving.      “We both leaving.  Get out of bed.” She pulled away Lee’s blankets, leaving her exposed and cold.      “I’m not going anywhere.”  She tried pulling back her covers, but they were on the floor now.      “Yes, you are. Get up!” She motioned impatiently at Lee, waving her arms wildly.  Lee sat up and rubbed her eyes, wincing a...

Voiceless by E.G. Wilson My rating: 4 of 5 stars Voiceless is a story that has very interesting and unique qualities. It is definitely a fresh read for YA fiction. I loved the idea of having one's voice and creativity being viciously stripped from the main character, Addy. With this new painful reality, she had to learn to live with not being able to communicate with her friends or family, or even be able to write effectively. Wilson did a great job showing the secluding effects that had on her, as well with other emotional impacts. Besides that, it is a futuristic story with sci-fi technology and fun Kiwi lingo, which I enjoyed. Near the end, it had some good twists and daring decisions that I did not see coming. During the middle of the book, I'll admit got a little slow for me. But once I pushed past a couple chapters, it got much better. After all that, I'll say it is not only an interesting story, but a story that can perhaps resonate with a lot of people on a...

He is his father’s son Her mother’s daughter They are a one-skinned family Descended from a long line Of one-skins He has his father’s father’s hair And her mother’s eyes They all look alike I am my father’s son My mother’s daughter We are a three-skinned family Descended from a long line Of two-skins I have my father’s hair And my mother’s eyes We do not look alike We are a three-skinned family We are colored soup We are divided We are one We look adopted We look hereditary We are a three-skinned family We are our father’s sons Our mother’s daughters We descend from a long line of two-skins We have our father’s hair Our mother’s eyes We don’t look alike We are a three-skinned family

Release The thumping of beats fire licking the black. Night this is our release. Us women encircle Red hot coals  we cry out for the gods to hear us to guide us to purge us. We are the women who plant seeds for the future. We petition the gods to save us from the wrath. He is coming he has come. We are defiled. We weep O gods deliver us! or else our fate is sealed hence. Release The gods demand sacrifice! Life for life blood for our blood it is just it is good. Bring out the sacrifice! the creature to be slain. A young goat laid on the altar rip out the limbs decapitate the head pull out the organs. O gods here is our sacrifice! Blood is on our hands now you must bless us we have made our sacrifice. Release

In the beginning was black Then white exploded Some say God said “Let there be light” Others say Big Bang I don’t know any other Origin story But I know The relationship between Black and white Polar opposites Existing completely separate But never apart Yin and yang Dual nemeses To exist They must never mix First there was black Once before the birth of life Then white exploded Fading, until it returns to black And the cycle continues Until one swallows the other And they become nothing

The world is loud and noisy and I am not I hear you I hear all of you Am I heard Fight or flight There is only escape Escape and transcend all of your mindless chatter But remember There is beauty in the wind Wisdom found in the clouds If I could reach it If I could float to the stars And become Balance Because here it is too hot and cold Too dry and wet Too quiet and noisy Balance If I could raise my arms And levitate Transcend this world And float I am too heavy to float Nonetheless It is beautiful For the body To soak in the essence Of air and sound Balance

    Underneath an Arizona night sky, amidst desert canyons and rugged yellow dirt that rippled for miles, Jannette lay on the hood of her boyfriend’s 2005 Ford pickup truck.  It was the year 2034, and being stuck in the desert with an ancient truck and no gas was the least of her concerns.  Shit had gotten real within the past year.  She lay gazing at the sky above her, one headphone stuck to her ear from an old CD player that played the same one album over and over.  Taylor Swift 2006 .  She had found it tucked into the cushion crevices of the backseat, and it became her only source of entertainment.  She missed her old iPhone with her hundreds of various songs, but cell devices were too risky these days.  Even radio was dangerous.  The world was completely without communication as far as she was concerned.       At least the sky was still beautiful, with its thousands of stars and galaxies.  Jannette reme...