by Mariana Meriles I think many of us spent our childhoods being taught social etiquette—you know, things like chewing with your mouth closed, giving a proper handshake, avoiding (and on my end, failing to avoid) crying in public, etc—but I feel like this pandemic has made most of that stuff obsolete and has introduced a … Continue reading
Tag Archives: mask
On Drinking Black Coffee
by Mariana Meriles I start my day with coffee. Black. And if anyone has ever told you that they genuinely enjoy the taste of black coffee, let me be the first to say: they’re lying. Or the coffee has burned off their taste buds. Still, I don’t think I’ve put any milk or sugar in … Continue reading
Lipstick Under Your Mask
by Sofia Paredesart by Kait Feely “Make yourself look nice, put a little lipstick on!” You may have heard this phrase many times before. However, with the onslaught of COVID-19 and less and less people (hopefully) leaving the house, it seems as if there is no point in putting effort into one’s appearance. On the … Continue reading
Notes From 3rd Grade
by Tilda Wilson This morning, after 20 minutes on hold, I spoke to a woman in the Cornell financial aid office named Karen. Had she used a different name, our conversation would not have felt so much like a foregone conclusion. A ‘Susan’ or even a ‘Sharon’ might have lulled me into wistful imaginings of … Continue reading
Unmasking My Identity
by Bex Pendrak I sat nervously on my porch, staring out across the backyard at the line of trees shielding my house from the rest of Ithaca. What if I had made a mistake, if my impulsive decision would lead to months of regret? My legs began to bounce in a futile attempt to release … Continue reading
Ode to My Walk Home
by Emma Eislerart by Belle McDonald SCENE ONEThe girl exits a café and the night awakens [imagine a long, serpentine creature; anything made of shadows]. The streets are empty, lampposts casting yellow haze. She pulls off her mask and lets it dangle from her hand, then a moment later tugs down her hair. She sighs, … Continue reading
Morning After
by Christina Ochoa It’s the morning after a long but good night. We attended a wedding together. His cousin from Miami was getting married, and his entire family was in attendance. They were a conservative religious family, and he had warned me that they could be judgemental of newcomers. I wore a shawl to cover … Continue reading
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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Expression
by Christina Ochoa First category of expression: Safety I don’t want to be seen. I don my oversized sweats like armor, to envelop me in the same way my depression has. They swallow every noticeable form, shape, and contour of my body. I become a clump of cloth, finding safety in the certainty of my … Continue reading