"self-aware" Last year, the 22nd of July was planned to be an ordinary Sunday. Visiting my older brother at his Waikiki apartment, where we'd spend a few minutes catching up, was something my mother and I did nearly every Sunday. July 22nd, however, was different. My brother's roommate called to inform us that he was heading to the hospital that frosty morning. At first, I had no idea what to make of our journey to the hospital. My mind was filled with anxiety, despite my…
@Saphire_trisha in May 2022
Summer of stem cell research "It looks like every cell in your body has died." Tears were stopping me just because I was shocked. My cells had shut down. With only one month left of my internship, I was back to square one after being accepted into the highly competitive Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMr) and working with human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) for the previous month. How could I make up for the time I had lost? During those 170 hours,…
"Music from the Soul" Sharing music with others is one of the most fulfilling aspects of the music-loving experience. Unfortunately, when musicians become overly focused on the minutiae of their instrument and the individual notes, they lose sight of the joy of performing as a whole. When I first started playing the piano, I thought I had figured out all the secrets to success, including devotion and a love for what I was doing. I was too focused on the details to remember…
It's called "Cuddle Buddy." In Piedmont, California, the San Francisco Bay fog was just beginning to sweep in as I slid the cover of Jennings Burch's book "They Cage the Animals at Night" shut. He stays in orphanages and foster homes with just his beloved plush dog, Doggie, as a constant friend. My cousin from Connecticut had recommended the book to me, but I had no idea how much it would change my life and the lives of everyone I came in contact with. An thought struck me…
"Chocolate Box" "Mother-son bonding time" is what my mum refers to every Sunday morning at the neighborhood Starbucks. Sundays are always the same, and this one is no exception. My mother and I enjoy our favorite wintertime beverages, a Chai Latte and a Caramel Frappuchino, as we sit on the couch together. How are we going to celebrate Dad's golden jubilee? Mom doesn't expect an answer when she poses a question regarding future plans; she already has an idea in mind. My mum…
“Then and Now: How a Working Single Mother Shaped Her Chinese American Daughter's Persona” Around the turn of the century, my family and I lived in a four-room apartment in the heart of Beijing. It was considered a luxury to have a staircase in a house because it was supposed to be a sign of wealth and ostentation. I had a basic existence. My mother's presence and absence were the only factors that differentiated my childhood from that of other children. When she died, my…
African Spirit I Admire My African brother toils hard in the sun the heat of it burning through shirt, He's worked long hours and there'll be no showers as he feels the ache and hurt, Things aren't the same there in his country as opportunities we have here, They work hard for little regard and even their pay seems to quickly disappear. My African sister toils hard in the sun the rays making baby restless on her back, Carries right on despite the hot sun not…
Television Interference #*#*#* #*#*#* We interrupt this broadcast for an important newsflash, Please do not adjust your set or do anything so rash, As bang your box or play with dials - we've taken over transmission, Blinding you with subliminal messages it'll be a difficult transition. All those adverts telling you what you need and what the others possess, All designed to tempt you or make you feel left out and the balance redress, The beautiful people and the extra white…
Two Queens At Lethal Odds Oh Sister, how we came to have such enmity between us when there should be such love, You turn to your Protestant advisors and blame for plotting treason but I only answer to God above, Your duty is to England and mine was once Scotland but are we not both relatives raised as Queens? Two women trying to make our own way in a world designed for the Men of our age, no longer even with the flush of our teens, I've been implicated and incarcerated your…
The Code Of Silence I'm in my cell locked up for the night and the shadows are creeping the walls, Father said I should say my prayers but my mind is a blur with what it recalls, Today I saw a murder and it wasn't a thing they planned for me to even see, Now I'm trapped in conflict of interest as I'm sworn to my religious secrecy. Ours is a silent order and I'm a monk whose still young and not very worldly, I swore a vow of silence what I see and hear is just all social…
The Bargaining Business Daughters everywhere hear this from the lips of men who control your fate, You'll never have your own freedom unless you're patient and you will wait, For fathers may be indulgent and allow you to choose your own attachment, But even then as you marry over to your husband any power is where that went. In times of old the mothers hoped to wed their daughters in strong alliance, And wayward offspring thinking of themselves were miserable in defiance, Or…
🦋 Make A Wish 🦋 Down in the valley where the tribes' children play, There's a small river and beautiful grass to lye in all day, Whilst the Wise One teaches lessons after chores are done, And all the children gather to willingly learn in the sun. This is how classrooms should be so you can learn first hand, they're all taught how to catch fish and make their own medicine band, Where to hunt for food and how to catch it using their tools About the Great Spirit and how it's…
At The Oasis I'm in the desert where the wind blows fierce with a thousand grains to rip my tears from me as it stings my skin, The palms at the oasis are swinging this way and that dropping debris everywhere so I retire to my tent and I wait it out within, The stars in the darkness had been my comfort a million watchful eyes all looking out for me in my time of need, Even the scorpions were staying away in this awful sandstorm which was a blessing as he rewraps my bandage…
Family drama Elani lied to her mother and said she hadn't seen her brother that day, And when grilled by her father she lied again and said he wasn't far away, That he'd gone home with a friend to do extra studies and needed his aid, Elani lied to her parents and said he'd given her the number but it's mislaid. She's usually the truthful one and her parents are quick to want to know, Who is this friend he's with, how long is he gone for and where did they go? Elani lied…
White Chalk written on a blackboard giving complex calculations for a weapon of mass destruction, The remaining snow on the last twenty meters of a mountain top where they're building a new construction, Albert Einstein's wild candyfloss hair in his late years rooted in that beautiful brain of his, The virginal wedding dress with its long trails and veils so traditional in churches and now other venues like this, The brightest cleanest spots on a polar bear's shaggy coat…
The Aurora Kid's Secret Wherever he goes he has these colours around him like a warm blanket, He never put them there they just sort of were part of him from the get-go, Hovering round his body or eminating from inside out they surround him, And he knows they'll never let him down because they tend to glow. And he sees that sharing the colours was s always a good thing to do, Since he could crawl he'd ask for hugs so that they'd be around them too, For the Aurora seemed to…
Me And The Sultan's Daughter I walked with her in the gardens of the palace whilst the Sultan slept awhile, And underneath her chiffon folds I could see her charming radiant smile, The date palms gave us shade and the oleander and honeysuckle filled the air, And I looked on the pleasant fountains and pools feeling I was blessed there. Then I saw him teaching in his white shalwar kameez looking like another, But when his cool pale blue gaze approach it felt as if a lover,…
Lamb Of God Who pays attention to the child whose wisdom is beyond their years? Such a one is ignored by the the know-it-all adults and poked fun of by their peers, Amber eyes and dark skin the shade of plain chocolate that some people try to avoid, She talks in beautiful rhetoric but of willing ears and simple cheers she is devoid, So she turns to the written word and sparks interest from those who see her relevance, But when they learn how old she is they feel the words…
A Generation In Frustration They used to be a pair before one broke Always inseparable until he had a stroke Now she is solo alone in a family home And he is in care where he hasn't spoke. Strands of her white, grey and silver hair Speak openly of a generation's age where They don't take easily to changing times And it's hard enough their age to bare. Her children moved away long time ago She lost her mobility more is now so slow Can't make her fingers work as she'd like So…
Twisted Perceptions There once was a bird, a beautiful bird with metallic plumage and long beak that could beat it's wings fast and fly long. There once was a good man, corrupt at the edges but holding out mostly, had big ambitions but little talent so wasn't strong. That bird flew free and the man in his captivity was jealous and broke the bird's wing so he could rob it of what he missed. And the bird didn't know what happened and trusted the man, for such is often Nature's…
"Starting a Company" Only a very small percentage of people my age can truly say that they've undergone a life-altering event. Last summer, I was one of the fortunate few to attend Leadership in the Business World (LBW) at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Even though the brochure for LBW didn't include any of these elements, they were all what drew me in and made the experience so special for me. The prestigious LBW Business Plan Competition served as…
Front Runner Pick up the pace why don't you? The others are almost out of view, Gotta just do the best you can do, Go on to push that bit harder too. You're gaining ground that's right, Keep giving that extra with might, I know it's hard, unfair, just sh*te, But if you lose focus you lose sight. Get those legs now going faster, Give it some welly be a long laster, Harden your mind avoid disaster, Oh poor baby -d'ya want a plaster? I'm sorry but it's tough I know, Others…
The Dark Place It's cold and dark in here and I feel trapped and so very alone, And this is the place that others would call their prison and a home? Full of dusty old memories the cobwebs fluttering in the breeze, Crammed with echoes of the past that are so loud they bring me to my knees, I bang myself on bad experiences and stumble over poor decisions, It's like a graveyard of all the things done wrong come to life as visions, So I lit a match that frightened them and at…
My Cloak Of Invisibility Went spying on my own friends to test their loyalty, Then spying on my enemies when they conspire against me, Watching things I shouldn't and making myself feel rather low, It turns out they all talk about me and it was better I didn't know. And I donned that cloak to hide from the world while I went, I wore it as a blanket forever and slept then cried then slept, It felt so lonely knowing they weren't all on my side at all, I wallowed in the woe and…
A Lover's Tryst Do you really think love is rose petals and fragranced bed sheets with a hearth fire burning and a four poster bed? Here in the squalor of my room is the truth, it's rats droppings and a musty smell in the dank cold and a warm fur rug on the creaky floor instead, I can't offer you the riches you've known, nor pretend you can trade down so low as to my station in life, We'd be secret lovers hitting the covers what of your inheritance, the luxuries, the travel…
The Unseen Alien War It awoke in a cosmic cloudburst having travelled for many light years through a rift in time and space, It emerged from the crystalline chrysalis neither a he nor a she and without the corporeal form needed in this place, Instead it floated as an unseen energy out of phase with the vibration of any one world of these three dimensions, But it tried hard to lower it's frequency so the native lifeforms would not be scared and know of its good intentions,…
The Clock Struck Thirteen The night the clock chimed thirteen it was already feeling chill in the air, And the ghosts that had gathered around midnight had waited there, All expectant faces and the hopeful anticipation huddled on the stair, Only one of them would pass through the veil of death or else it wasn't fair. On All Hallow's Eve there is a weakness in the barrier dividing our two planes, And if someone willingly dies in the mortal world a ghost comes back again, But…
A Lonely Lioness Three lionesses lye basking in the warm Savannah sun, Feigning no interest in the gazelles and zebra as they run, Just cleaning paws with long deft strokes of their tongue, Soon the bossy male will be roaring they don't have too long. Two of the felines have pale tan coats that gleam from their diet, But their sister looks leaner for no meat though they beg her to try it, She gets her sustenance from fruit and plants she sees other beasts eat, Won't admit…
🌈 Rainbow Rose 🌈 What flower encapsulates the whole of your feelings towards the ones you love? With a little help from Nature and science and that missing element above, I grew a rainbow rose full of all the colours you'd expect from such a flower, Vibrant and appealing it stands upright and proud in my garden, hero of the hour, No thorns to cut you or prick your conscience of the what might have been, No disease to slowly infect petals and make them duller the more they're…
Sleeping With The Stars Lying here in the silence, Curtains open so I might see the stars, Flooded by pale moonlight fingers, creeping over my torso, Warm flesh caressed by cool light, I'm going to sleep with the stars tonight. The heat of the room lulls me, A small breeze from the window invades, Here it blows over my skin, And I wish it was your touch, To set my more sensitive side alight, Overwhelmed in a blanket of soft white. Yes the stars are at their most vivid, And…