nights
a poem by amy montoya it’s nights like these where i miss you the most. the grasshoppers are singing a lullaby and the fireflies are lighting up the dark night. all i can hear are my loud thoughts. and they’re all screaming you. it’s 1am and i should be sleeping. but i can’t even blink without seeing you in the millisecond of darkness when my eyelids kiss each other. oh how they love to kiss each other. oh how i wish i was kissing you. every night the moon comes out and tries to embrace the sun as it goes down to sleep. the ocean water gets pulled back, but wont stop reaching out to touch the sand. the night is still. yet nature doesn't stop. the moon never stops trying to kiss the sun goodnight. the ocean never stops reaching for the sand. nature never stops embracing. nature never stops loving. and if it means my mind has to keep screaming and i have to lose sleep, i will. because if my love is as consistent as nature’s, then my nights will be spent missing you. i won't stop reaching. i won't stop embracing. not until our lips kiss endlessly like my eyelids do. oh how they love to kiss each other. oh how i wish i was kissing you. Amy is a Junior at FHS. She enjoys writing in her free time. She wants to become a writer at Rutgers University.
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by Derrick Michell Soft sand to the texture of cotton encase my legs and toes like perfect silk. Looking up for the first time, I see a sky, black and riddled with the shining dots that are in reality, astral bodies of fire and instability, almost contradicting its existence from a certain perspective - yet they fill me with a sense of relief for allowing myself to be distanced from the rest of the universe. Air has settled on my skin like a comfortable blanket, drenching my pores with a breath of calamity and relaxation. In the soft darkness of the desert, the sounds of shifting sands encase and sooth my eardrums to a point of euphoria. Ahead of me I spectate the falling of a beautiful white moon slowly descending below this plane of the earth - the moon was so big that it’s impossible not to feel like this moment was made just for me to experience. Suddenly my arms wrap around my body tightly and my legs fall to the smooth dry sand as I look up once again, just to feel the gravity of this planet push down on my body, encouraging me to stay still and just fall asleep; just to wake up in the morning with this memory being a part of the past. For awhile, I consider the offer, maybe it isn’t such a bad thing to wane into complete silence and wake up to another day, another life. I began to close my eyes, and almost on cue, something passes over me like a wave some type of encouragement and my entire body springs back into life. Looking around nothing has changed, this place is still just as beautiful as before - why has my biology stopped me from submitting to a peaceful sleep on the softest bed ever created by nature? Some otherworldly force argued with the thought of being content, of being alone, of being satisfied with the view. Like everything around me never existed or mattered, my hands aggressively grasped onto the sides of my head as my mind flutters into an entirely new dimension of thought and emotion. My eyes close as new thoughts flood into the depths of my brain. As the thoughts seep deeper and deeper into my core, I feel my body rejecting my thoughts as it attempts to convert the situation into energies of frustration. With every breath of air, I can feel the blood in every vein transport itself through my body, and with every release of that air, the blood settles itself again, waiting to be rejuvenated. Still being on the soft bed, my toes curl deep into the sand as my entire body heats up in confusion and emotion. How can such a beautiful moment destroy itself within moments? All of a sudden the hands that forced my head still released itself, and my eyes open yet again to the scene of a beautiful desert. And just as if nothing happened, I stand up and begin to walk again. Soft sand to the texture of cotton encase my legs and toes like perfect silk as I remove my mind from the previous reality. Accepting the stars in space and the moon in my sky, the thoughts in my mind and the spirit in my biology, I then realize and say out loud, “how long is this desert?” Then I consider another thought: “how long do I have to keep walking?” Derrick is a Senior at Franklin High School.
Excerpt from Golden Eyes By Nia A. Dinah Matthews moves to Whitefish, Montana, discovering she is The Chosen Vampire to solve the mystery of missing girls. She becomes apart of a coven with four other vampires: Hillary, Blake, Jake, and Kenya. In this scene, Dinah is getting her first taste of blood. Hillary turns up the the radio, music blasting through the speakers. “What…?” Jake scoffs. “What kind of song is this?” “It’s called Dracula’s Wedding.” Hillary laughs. “Ironic.” I give Jake a look full of caution. “This doesn’t feel very good.” I frown, looking down and folding my arms. “Relax. That’s what you should do.” Jake’s hand rest in mine, sending a tingle of comfort down my spine. I look up to smile at him, his spirit was nice and kind. Blake stops the car abruptly. “Ok get out my car. We are here.” I get out, the smell of pine surrounds me like a blanket. Coming from South Carolina, there were no wooded areas like this. Mostly on drives my mom and I would notice farmland and long winded roads. I look around in wonder; the last experience here gave me negative associations with the woods. I didn’t want to think about the fangs or the pain. Like a little girl, I allow my eyes to wander various places where the light shone and my hands to touch everything in sight. “You’ve never seen a tree?” Blake removes my hand from the tree and stares at me. “I’m from South Carolina. Let me live ok?” Hillary clutches onto her handbag, Kenya invading her personal space to reach inside her blood. “I want blood. I’ve been dying all day. Where is it?” Hillary slaps her hand. “Patient.” She tosses Jake a pink plastic container. Blake sits on the hood of his car, sipping out of the purple bottle from earlier. He acts as if this “blood” thing is not new to him. Jake takes long swigs from the container. After he finishes wiping his mouth with satisfaction, he passes it to Kenya. She hungrily drinks the blood. Hillary slaps Blake, taking his bottle. “Ok your turn, Newbie.” Blake looks at me, his voice full of caution. “You’ll need to drink slow your first time. You could get carried away,” Hillary says, handing me blood. “That would be super duper bad,” Kenya adds. I nod, putting my lips to the plastic. Slowly, I raise the bottle, the blood rushes into my mouth. With each swallow, a savory taste fills my mouth. I close my eyes, maintaining a slow drinking pace. “She definitely is the Chosen One,” I hear Blake whisper to Kenya. She nods, looking at me in amazement. I remove my lips from the top, swallowing my last bit on blood. I wipe my mouth, revealing my fresh set of fangs. “That was perfect,” I say softly. “Perfection, my dear.” Kenya claps. “I’ve been a vampire my whole life, and I still get excited by the taste of blood.” I smile, glad to be approved by my new friends. Especially Blake. Jake and Hillary glance at each other. “Well, I think that’s all for today. Just go home today. We’ll talk tomorrow,” Hillary says. I laugh. “Doesn’t Blake have to drive us home?” Kenya shakes her head. “Well I am going to go wander in the woods like I normally do, and Jake and Hillary go off and do...I’m not actually sure.” “So looks like you’re just stuck with me,” Blake says edging closer to me. After a few minutes of saying goodbye, I sit in the passenger seat of Blake’s car. He starts the engine slowly, his eyes peeking my my direction constantly. I pretend not to notice. “I feel your anxiety.” Blake breathes, his voice low. “You know. From being in the car.” I look out the window. “Ok? What’s your point?” I turn to face him, but when he looks at me, I look away. Sometimes I found it hard to believe that he was real. “I’m sorry about it.” Blake starts to drive, the scenery moving fast through the window. “It doesn’t feel pleasant.” I nod. “It’s hard enough to feel my pain, but to have someone else feel it, too?” I scoff and let out a low laugh. “Do you want me to suppress my pain?” “Is that an option?” “No.” “I knew it.” Blake smiles, his signature wild smile. My cheeks flush red with embarrassment. “What?” He says, noticing my personality shift. “Why aren’t you being mean to me?” I ask. “You’ve been mean to me like all day.” “What? Tough guy can’t get a break?” Blake questions, jokingly. “Haha. Save that ‘break’ for Miranda.” His phone lights up with a text from her; U up? ;) “Really? You up? It’s like four in the afternoon not midnight.” Blake bursts out into laughter. “I take naps sometimes like every teenager.” We laugh then proceed in silence for awhile. I like silence with Blake. The sounds of his car engine comforts me as we return to the sight of houses and little shops. People walk across the street, laughing and smiling. I see a mother push her baby in a stroller. It reminds me of my mother when she adopted me. “You know my mom used to push me in a stroller all the time until I absolutely couldn’t fit inside,” I say softly, my hand touching the cold window. “She always wanted a baby, you know? She was so happy to have me.” Blake nods, his hands firm on the steering wheel. “I never needed a stroller. I aged too fast.” I face him with confusion. “What?” “I was born a vampire. Aging slows down after you hit like 17 so wrinkles are not really an option when I’m 50.” Blake explains, his eyes still on the road. “I don’t know. It was weird growing up because I would be in first grade, but I wouldn’t be because I was much more capable physically and mentally. So was Kenya.” “Kenya?” Blake nods. “She’s my twin sister.” “So are Hillary and Jake related?” “Far from it. They were turned vampires a few years ago. By my mother.” “Why?” “To complete the coven until the Chosen One arrived.” “Me?” Blake nods and glances over. I feel his eyes on my neck. Quickly, I place my hand on my neck, rubbing the smooth surface of my skin. I look out the window, the sunlight slowly burning my eyes. “You ok?” Blake asks. “No. The sun.” I sigh, a feeling of fatigue hovers over my body. Blake passes me black shades. I put them over my eyes. I always loved how when you wore shades, it was like seeing the world in a whole new perspective. It was like using the thermal camera setting and seeing a person’s body in shades of blue, yellow, and red. Blake turns into my driveway in the woods. He parks his car and sighs. I lower my eyes, tugging at my backpack. I look over at him once more, soaking up my last image of him for the day. “Hey.” Blake starts. “You up?” I burst out into laughter, easing me from my trance. “Yeah. I’m up.” I think of Miranda and stop smiling. I give him one last look, opening the car door. “Thanks, Blake.” I slide out, closing the door behind me. Colette stands at the door, the expression on her face filled with excitement. “You got a ride home from Blake?!” She squeals, grabbing my hands and jumping. I look back at him. Blake was already driving away. “It’s not a big deal.” Colette smiles at me and breaths. “He’s hot. I would be excited if I was alone with him, but then again I have Austin so I have no use for Blake in my life.” “Lucky you.” Nia is a Junior at Franklin High School. She enjoys reading, writing, and acting. Nia plans to pursue television or film writing when she gets older.
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About Epiphany
Epiphany Literary Magazine is a safe space for students at Franklin High School to share their creativity. Archives '16-'20
June 2020
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