Lovely mute loose from her bruiser brute

Like a young child who cannot recite her address,

I sip slow poison

Across the rathskeller,

Incorporeal paws claw at the bodice of my dress,

The charnel house of our cherished hours

The band’s subway train has been delayed;

(A man left an empty water bottle on the seat before dragging his feet home.

We hope it’s not a bomb) silence waltzes through the room

In a banquette, I see the bend in your knee and in your nose

A gargoyle waiting for the right time of night to strike

When other swing-dancing couples have festooned themselves half-drunken and merry

across city streets

Then we are like two stray animals in a cardboard box

The last drops of painted pill alcohol stretch themselves down my throat, accomplices of your

ploy

Upon their breach of my brain, you reach for my wrist

We depart, myself on tottering tiptoe, you- identifiable thief of carnelian in the white night

Reluctant palms pushed up against the apartment’s peeling paint

Carnivorous breaths howling down my neck

And afterwards, always the same silicone apology

If only I hadn’t lost God between cracks of a wall

(A snake slipping- slithering through my fingers)  

I would wash away pieces of you from my sheets

Whenever I put them through the laundry

I would-

Jamthewordsbackintoyourcoinslotmouthlikeoldbrokengamesatthearcade

Or make you drive for hours to reclaim your sentences!

but instead I find myself, the romantic amnesiac

climbing out of the silent rainforest.

coming home to the soft moss of your skin.

to breathe crisp morning back into your lungs.

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At first, there was no challenge to the religion. It promised community, a sense of belonging through a simple ritual, performed several times a day, pre-dawn to dark: Command, T, F, Enter. Command, T, F, Enter.

Sound familiar? Maybe not, but look down at your computer keyboard. To most every one of my peers, including myself, this is muscle memory. This is the first thing you do when you come home. This is your mind wandering off while trying to write a paper. This is meeting up with your friends. This is reading the news. This is watching “television.” This is getting to know your sixth grade crush. This is asking your sixth grade crush out late at night. This is having your sixth grade crush break up with you under the fictitious pretext of “It’s not you, it’s me.”  This is the the keyboard shortcut for opening Facebook on your browser.

My brain still a malleable blob of clay, I first signed up for a Facebook account at the tender age of ten. Enticed by my peers’ promises of group messages, games, and “funny pics,” I created an account as soon as possible in the library of my primary school. I can still remember it raining that day. If I were a middle school english teacher I might say this was foreshadowing.

After successfully lying about my age, declaring myself “Single,” and uploading a photo of a shark as my profile picture, I was now a proud member of the Facebook community. I had my own digital projection of myself, and I could present myself in any way I saw fit. Upload a picture of me with a skateboard, suddenly I was rebellious (and slightly athletic); upload a photo of me playing guitar, I was now musically inclined. Finally, I could be who I wanted to be.

Fast forward seven years and the fervor of social media has permanently ingrained itself as a daily routine for me and everyone I know a constant, uninterrupted forum of communication available to all, any time of day, or night. From the second I woke up to the moments before drifting off to sleep, my contemporaries and I were continuously refreshing our respective social media feeds. We got hooked. I was able to keep tabs on all my old friends whenever my family moved, while simultaneously making it “easier” to make new ones, social media quickly became an integral part of my life. Yet, I felt more and more alone. Everyone around me that I talked to felt more and more alone. Everyone’s actions hinged upon the instant gratification from Likes and Shares, Favorites and Reblogs. A culture was being formed where intelligence, beauty, and originality were tossed aside in favor of acclaim. Someone’s followers comprised their worth, their influence. We were slaves to the glass rectangle.

(art credit:  Emile Ravenet)

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Age: 19 Location: Brooklyn

I first heard about Brigid because of her writing talent, but lately I was asked to look at her film photographs. It is remarkable what a brilliant artist she is! Upon first glance at her portraits, one is able to see that she uses her camera to interlace “in the minute” facial expressions or poses of her subjects with a deeper perception of who they are as people. At least that’s how I see it The faded “dagguerreotype-ish” feel of her photographs makes them seem eternal, relevant to any time period. An interesting thing she mentions in her interview, is that she enjoys people seeing the photos she’s taken of them and then getting a better idea of how she sees them. I think that’s quite a perfect way to sum up what art is. It’s all about taking the world around you and filtering it through yourself, in this case, through Brigid’s camera lens. Watch the video to learn more!

See more on her photography site Brigid Connelly’s Photography

And even more on Brigid’s Blog!

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Age: 17 School: Edward R. Murrow High School Location: Brooklyn

Jet Commander is an exceptional rapper. I met him the night he performed in a concert. He was warm and charismatic, going around and thanking everybody for coming. Despite his supreme talent when it comes to rapping, he considers it as more of a hobby and favors writing. He talks about how the idea of writing an anthology pleases him, how he enjoys proofreading, and discusses his favorite books. Watch the video and find out more!

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Age: 17 School: LaGuardia School Location: Manhattan

Clare is a truly remarkable person. She is a gifted actress, a unique dancer, a knowledgeable filmmaker, and an amazing writer. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing her for almost six years now. Six years! We met at the beginning of the 7th grade at PPAS, when I just moved back to New York from San Francisco. She greeted me on my first day of school and readily showed around. The moment I met her, it became clear that she was confident and had a head on her shoulders. These qualities are also easy to see when she’s acting. That first year when we met, everyone in our class was given an assignment to write a monologue and perform it in front of the class. To this day, I still remember the talent she emulated when performing her monologue. Not to mention that the level of her writing well surpassed any expectations for that age. She discusses that monologue in the video, so I don’t want to give too much away, but I can testify that Clare is not only an incredible artist with a vision, but also a very knowledgeable individual with a broadest expertise on a multitude of topics. Watch the video and see for yourself!

Fun memorabilia — Ursula and Margaret (a.k.a. Clare and Ana) in Much Ado About Nothing, PPAS/Waterwell production circa 2010 (or 2011):

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Age: 17 School: Professional Performing Arts School Location: Queens

Sam is an actor. He is an extremely genuine, modest and warm person, and he is always excited to help out in any creative endeavor. Sam was in “That’s My Boy” starring Adam Sandler. Watch the video to learn more!

Sam Kaufman as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet (Waterwell Production, 2014)

Also, check out Sam’s earlier work for The Onion

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Age: 17 School: Professional Performing Arts School Location: Manhattan

Logan Riley Bruner is a supremely driven individual who can always be seen passionately working on a new project, be it a student run play, or his latest vlog. He has starred in multiple feature films, and was in the Christmas 2013 Apple Commercial that won an Emmy. Watch the video to learn more!

Online: Blackwolves Productions »

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Age: 17 School: Professional Performing Arts School Location: Brooklyn

Oscar is a director, writer and producer. At the moment he is more focused on becoming a director. Last year he co-directed a student run play called “Reasons to be Pretty” by Neil LaBute and has participated in numerous other shows as a prominent character. Watch the video to find out more!

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