Ataraxia: a state of freedom from emotional disturbance and anxiety; tranquillity.
Let go of it all—the dreary arguments, the unanswered questions that dig into the tip of your tongue. Leave your world behind.
The Earth will keep spinning. Through the flurry of your life—through the sea of scarlet that melds together love, hope, and suffering—the sun will still bloom at the crack of dawn.
Emotions undulate—time is no match for the inferno of passion that propels us forth as we laugh, love, touch our red lips and warm bodies to those of another. Nor can it equal the pace of frigid silence’s sting as it pervades the aftermath.
But even as the torrents of emotion pull at your beating heart, the tide will continue its steady dance. And as you stagger under the weight of the gushing rain, you must remember that seasons change—that you will regain your footing.
So, dear reader, we beseech you to close your eyes and let go of the transience of your daily life. Nature’s arms lay outstretched—follow us into her embrace of abiding serenity.
—the Editors, Winter 2018
Table of Contents
Poetry
Xander Tse: Among the Lights
Chris Wang: cucumber salad
Joyce Zhang: decomposition in a minor
Ria Chaudhary: Downpour
Kasey Chuang: Face Paint
Kai Tsao: MH370
Raksha Narasimhan: Spring Tide
Prose
Saniya Doshi: Ad Finem
Christine Lee: Before the Seventh Day
Lauren Ho: Blind
Maya Sabatino: Cherish Me
Justin Chu: Delusions
Sahana Ilenchezhian: Escape
Kai Tsao: jawline
Kaylia Mai: Mother of All
Suphala Nibhanupudi: Mother’s Daffodils
Yiu-On Li: Redux
Caitlin Leong: Souls
Grace Huang: Teine
Coby Chuang: Until the Sun Rises
Melissa Chen: White Widow