On the Margins of Identity

Credits: Ricardo EsquivelI can still hear the chanting coming from the TV: “Build the wall, build the wall!”. With the election of the 45th president of the United States, my community has been denigrated on the political stage. I am the Mexican of his United States-- an invasive species. My mother tongue is a threatening weapon and my vibrant culture poses a threat to the American Dream. My entire being is policed by ignorance. Leading up to the election, the idea of prejudice wasn’t so forward

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THE INNER TUSSLE

I’m fine.I can’t be better than this present state.Of course, I’m alright.They say, “chill, it’s just a pen.”But it's not just a pen.I lost hold of my dreams, my hopes, by losing that pen.It's not just a pen. Now I feel helpless, worthless, without my pen, I’m hopeless!  It's not just a pen!  As I lay down and count the rafters on the ceiling, thinking. I hope my pen has not been broken. The void in my heart will never be repealed. The emptiness in my hands will never be filled. It's not just a

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THE HUMAN DIARY

Dear Beatrice,         It was just another friendless day at school. The usual. As I always do, let me share my thoughts with you. You, of all people, should know how it feels: to not have a soul to care about you. Even your shadow despises you. Standing at the edge of a lake, you hope to see your face-- no matter how rigid and rugged it looks-- but even the lake rejects hosting you. All it accommodates are peaceful swans and friendly egrets. No room for a heart that is weary of love and compani

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On the Margins of Sexuality

The summer breeze was swiftly coming in through the open window as the sound of my mom’s miniature speaker played Selena’s “I Could Fall In Love With You.” Being in a Latino household, I was surrounded by many songs like these that made me believe in the cliche power of love. My concept of romance began when I was a kid and I watched the romantic scenes play out in the dramatic telenovelas my mother would play. I remember that in every single novela, love would prevail and there would be a grea

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Story about the environment

At the stroke of dawn, my father and I begin the day by treading through the sagging tallgrass just behind the barn, to let the horses trot out towards the backfield. Haltered loosely, they walk alongside us calmly and obediently. In the softly orange-lit morning, the light mist from the night’s rain welcomes us. After hearing the steely clink of the red metal gate close behind us, we make our way back to the barn. This is my farm. It’s where I live and have lived my whole life with my father; i

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AMID SPECULATION, SOUTH KOREA SAYS KIM JONG UN IS ‘ALIVE AND WELL’

Amid widespread rumors that North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un died or is critically ill following a heart procedure and possible leadership of his successor his sister, Kim Joy Young of the country,  South Korean officials announced:  North Korea’s leader: Kim Jong Un is alive and wellAccording to Moon Chung-in, South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s top foreign policy advisor Kim has been staying in North Korea’s Wonsan area since April 13 and said that there are no suspicious movements detected so

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