When Chris Hollered Train!

No, huh-uh, I'm going to dodge for the roles of ourselves,

His thick glasses glittered in the sun capturing a moment in time,

When one’s actions seem both unimaginably cruel 

and completely natural. 

Fighting and protesting, at one time I was doing that.

Hitting and clawing in our defense,

They have no shield

 It had already ended.

We’re auditioning no secrets to reveal,

Our lips are sealed wanting to be cut free.

Si-lence less significant,

I stood stunned when you looked at them,

Forget their lies scratching the backdrop,

That’s when we’ll be feared among us. 

A Catalogue of Strange Occurrences and Goings-On that May or May Not Make Sense to the Average Listener, But the Select Few Who Do Dare to Take a Look Inside Will Reach Total and Ultimate Knowledge of the Universe and Will Crave Tater Tots for at Least 34 Business Days

Rain down the side of a car door / A blur of green and gray / A man standing in front of a neon diner sign with a broken bike / My hand against the window, pretending I’m in a music video / Professional personal-bubble encroacher / A different brand of green beans / Falafel-eating koalas in the foyer / Apologies for whatever I’ve done / Lessons from a toothpaste-filled mouth / A more pleasant introduction / One half of two handfuls / Duct tape on the gas line / A health evaluation from my dermatologist / Manual on the “Linda Cardellini Project” / Marimba Time on VHS/ Lights that are too bright for your purposes / Broken doorbell that can only play “Olivia” by One Direction / A pair of soulless hightops / The ability to be frightened (boo) / Just the O’s in alphabet soup / A drawing of a horse - I think / A burnt bagel that can predict your uncle’s future / An infamous vaudeville fruit-fly duo called Lewis and Harold / A secret / A book of punctuation / Microscopic baby / A leisurely walk on thin ice / The ends of books / Scentless lemons from Sorrento / A place you’ll never find / A trombone for all occasions / A circumstance / Song with four-and-a-half chords missing / A trailer filled with Jacques Cousteau memorabilia / Trophies because you won! / A 96-inch plot of land in Selfoss, Iceland / An icebreaker to use at your disposal/

Miette Hundal-Simpson is an 8th-grade student currently attending Stanford Online High School. She is Indian and Irish and takes inspiration from both sides of her culture when writing poems, screenplays, and short stories. Passionate about music, Miette has played piano, guitar, and drums since the age of four, and is in a band with her older brother. She spends her summers traveling and seeking out new foods to try, Tokyo being her favorite food destination to date. Miette admires both the music and poetry of Patti Smith, and also loves British panel shows, Gogglebox, Bollywood dance numbers, and the film Stand By Me. Miette hopes to spend her adult years writing, solving crimes with forensics, and playing music.