Vision+Voice

Where I’m From
By: Maya AlRafati

I am from fighting over the remote, from my phone and a tv,
I am from the fun and kind,
from the sweet and loving,
I am from the heavenly taste of food,
I am from the hibiscus flower
and the mint bush whose long limbs I remember as if they were my own
I am from fasting and cooking, from my dad and my mom,
I’m from fights to laughter, and from fun board game nights that lasted till 2am
I am from the Tooth Fairy and Santa Clause, and twinkle twinkle little star, I’m from Austin and the Middle East,
from tabbouleh and steak, from brown hair and brown eyes,
from my cats’ toys under my bed to photos on my wall to in my heart
I am from my home which I love with all of my heart!

Where I’m From
By: Annalie McFate

I’m from my shoes
From flowers to books
I am from the two story white house with a balcony
With brown hardwood floors
I am from the leaves in the spring trees
The big tall tree in my backyard
Whose long limbs I remember
as if they were my own.

I’m from Christmas gifts and interesting people
from Katie and Mimi
I’m from painting and reading
and from baking delicious dishes.

I’m from believing in Jesus and Mary
and to never give up
I’m from Grandma’s house for Thanksgiving
I’m from Houston and Austin
Ramen and pepperoni pizza
From my grandpa getting cancer
Working at a nuclear plant and having grandchildren
Going to Arkansas, Colorado, and Scotland
and Paris and Galveston
Will forever be in my heart.

I took a piece
Of AI art
And cut it out
To fit my whims

I shaved the edge of the piece
Ones that didn’t exactly make
A cohesive whole.
I took white pen and scribbled
Over blurry edges and unreal shapes
A computer’s view of the world.
It is mine.

A face started to form in the mess
Staring back at me, distraught
Why have you created me so?
My mind is filled with
Zeroes and ones and zeroes and ones and zeroes and ones
Over and over and over again
I cannot understand.

Why have you forsaken me so?
I shake my head.
I shun responsibility and bury the piece
Beneath heaves and heaves of stuff.
I have not created you.

I’m from India
from flowers and spices
and colorful clothes
I am from a lemon tree
whose flowers were picked before they could bloom

Too many clothes with not enough hangers,
My dirty hamper, that I’ve had since I was 5 that is also destroyed,
My tiny little suitcase that I can’t even use,
And a ton of shoes that barely fit,
One random electric candle that I’ve never lit,
Halloween costumes that I don’t need,
Bins of stuffed animals that my sister takes and keeps,
And old school supplies that I could probably use but don’t,
A “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” story,
On the cover there is porridge,
And random stuff because my parents use my closet as storage.

I used to…(softball)

I used to not be able to hit the ball
But now I hit home runs

I used to not catch anything
But now I play catcher

I used to be scared
But now I am ready for anything

I used to be scared to get dirty
But the only way to play is dirty

I used to play easy
But now I have broken a bone and sprained three things

I used to only have played 1 season
But now i’m moving on to my 12th season

I used to not know anyone
But now I know almost everyone

To you, yesterday
I have nothing to say.
The butterfly effect is real, haven’t you heard?
Noun: “(in chaos theory) the phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere”
You know?
So I have nothing to say to you,
Yesterday,
As I fear of a change too great
To ever be realized. To ever be Not-Realized.
If I did, though-
If and only if-
I’d say to keep going.
Yesterday was once today
Was once tomorrow.

Very plain when you first glance at it,
but you have to take the time to see if there’s something there.
Smiling up at me making a silly face,
dust and dirt residue rim the glassy edges,
Although it might not be pretty it’s not ugly.

It wants completion,
the need to be useful painted right on the surface.
For it has a want to be liked,
to be seen and called interesting,
to be looked upon and called lovely.

Its colorless pigment is bright as day,
and the bouquets,
put on display even if they’re plastic.
Bundles of sapphire blue and emerald green,
whether or not you can smell them won’t make a difference.
It knows it’s better than having nothing to show off,
and that being something is better than being nothing.

An ordinary vase.

The beaming waterfall,
Bright and glowy,
Soft and sparkling,
With the soothing instrumental,
Very sentimental.
Glistening and glittering,
Fast and flickering.
The glowing waterfall,
Standing high and tall,
With the slow call
Of water.

Back in 1980
I was watching the Olympics
At the little age of nine, not yet ten,
Full of confidence and spite,
As nine year olds are,
I found myself to be better than all of them.
“If I was on that team-”
“If I did that flip-”
Suddenly I became an expert in all sports
Tricks, flips, kicks,
And Ifs.
South Korea got zero medals
But I won gold.