Paper Trails — Chris Poon
I could say the dog ate my homework
but I have no excuses
when I say that
this test ate my soul
how I let this trivial piece of paper consume me—
devour me whole.
Seated and chained
I go through these sheets
to get another piece of paper
with my name
But now I’m lost for words
and stuck on a blank page.
Because Paper perpetuates paper
and paper perpetrates people
paper produces
perverted patriarchy
and prejudiced police
pillaging and persecuting pigmented skin
paper propounds propaganda
proponent of capitalism
paper proposes proletariat
without property
paper promotes monopoly
plunging people into poverty
paper polarizes political parties
putting super pacs and private pacts before proper public policy
Paper plays people
like puppets performing
people pretend paper has power
paper is prophet for profits.
As long as we accept a language of hate from Adam’s Apple allowing
assault repeated as Anaphora
masculine assholenance trains
its abhorrent gaze
on women
as bodies of text
twisting words and tongues
to assist their advances
For wordplay and alliteration
translating predation
as affirmation.
And paper is another way
to make pariahs become prey for piranhas playing their games
of take away.
Labeling the alienated and appropriated alike
attaching hyphenation to their names
so they know they not white
and armed with guns blazing
they aim on sight
as pens can beat blades
but not stop bullets in flight.
But placing pen to paper
presses ink to paper,
tattoos the flesh with print.
Print permutates prose into poetry
poetry permeates people
poetry permeates pounding heart
and pulsing soul.
Paper provides opportunity
props up people with hope
paper protests picket fences
and padded walls
with picket signs
and peace for all
paper promises prosperity
despite despair
paper pursues happiness.
Even when promises end empty
Exam questions
Exchange Ecological extinction
for Economic efficiency
President becomes Emperor of
Prejudiced epithets
Misogynist rhetoric
Supremacist Sentiment
Unemployed are exiled,
living in egg shells
Excluded then Executed
Poor treated as expendable
working with backs bent
for every cent
Tenants with enormous rents
evicted with enormous debts
Innocents on streets
begging without benefits
Echoes an epilogue of
envy and empathy
etched into my memory
Racing away from the past,
I recklessly run after American dreams
and ram into recurring nightmares
of repeated revenge rolling forever
like the ouroboros
Star Spangled banner
burning from pride
—rocket’s red glare—
But always remember that
Our flag was still there.
never forget that
paper comes from trees
grown from bruised roots
and our efforts are never worthless
our labor always bears fruit
never put paper before people
for arbitrary reasons
keep the real friends near
cuz the true friends rare
So I’ll tear this test up
And throw it in the air
Ripped shreds transformed
Into soaring birds
An origami of words
Recalls the repeated refrain:
Let Freedom Ring
Let Freedom Ring!
A WOMAN’S WAR, A HOLY WAR: THE POLITICS OF RAPE AND ANGER — Mia Miranda Mesa
I didn’t ask for this violence
or to carry original sin on my shoulders
I used to say my hail marys
I don’t anymore
but the guilt never really leaves
does it
only hardens and cracks
and splinters my flesh
I used to be a better woman
but war got in the way
what did you think would happen
my body another synonym for mass
another altar to dig your knee into
a mound where roots go to die
the blood of christ
the willpower of a woman
who ate the apple anyway
a spilled glass of pinot noir
a single file of ants into a ripe pomegranate
the same seeds hades forced down persephone’s throat
girls are told to swallow
spring is an antonym for rape
what did you think would happen
my mouth a slash
a bruise
a wound
a dead autumn leaf
I used to be a better woman
without a scream
or a fist in my ribcage
what did you think would happen
I never wanted a war
you made me martyr
turned me monster
helen launched a thousand ships
medusa could have sunk them all
we never wanted war
but now
we never wanted war
but now it is holy
I am my mother
her rape is mine
I carry it like an ache
in my teeth
demeter is a mother
the same way that I am a daughter
a throat lodged with pomegranate seeds
my body a home
a summer
for anyone but me
women aren’t carnivores
but skin is tender
and we can’t live on seeds alone
what did you think would happen
I didn’t want to write this because
then it is real
then you can trace my scars back
to a reliable narrator
to broken milk jugs
and cracked heels
to the exact moment my body
was not a body
but the site of a war crime
and what did you think would happen
girls are told to swallow
winter is a mother’s wound
I didn’t want war
I told you
once I write this it is real
I spit, I spit, I spit
I didn’t start this war
but no one else knows how to finish it
what did I think would happen?
Someone Like Me — Shreya Joshi
It isn’t normal to see someone that looks like me on my screen. Unless of course, that someone is family, and what is on my screen is a mom-selfie from Facebook or a random photo in a WhatsApp Chat. It’s definitely not normal for me to tune into a Vice Presidential debate, or C-Span and see someone that looks like me, a woman of color, in a position of power.
For many, the rise in prominence of political figures such as Senator and Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a landmark life event. It’s a one-in-a-million moment to get to watch people we can relate to finally get a say, to watch ourselves finally get a say.
Unfortunately, that say comes with its own caveats. Namely, to see those like us be attacked for the very insecurities and disadvantages society has thrown upon us.
For misogyny knows no clearer example than in criticisms of women being labelled as “aggressive” or “condescending” for the same actions men are being lauded for as “assertive.” When Senator Kamala Harris was interrupted during the Vice Presidential debate, the expectation was that she would stop speaking, allowing VP Mike Pence to make his point during her time.
That’s the norm.
So when Senator Harris not only continued her point, but first called Pence out on his actions, the media blew up. Even my own father spoke to me the next day, discussing how Harris was rude and condescending.
I viewed the situation drastically differently. I saw a woman who looked like me, one who had been constantly fighting to be heard standing up for herself in a world where the color of her skin and the organs she was born with determined what society was willing to let her contribute.
I saw someone who had fought to assimilate, simply because she had to. I saw someone who perfected raising the octave of her voice and widening her smile until it seemed a little fake, because that’s how the white society women she was surrounded by did it.
I saw someone like me.
In no way am I here to suggest that Senator Kamala Harris or any politician that is a woman of color should be free from criticism simply because they are a minority. The criticism simply cannot be a double standard; it cannot be rooted in their race or gender identity.
I would ask the reader to take note of the way that I am referring to people with titles in this piece. For a softer weapon of misogyny in politics, or academia, or any field where titles are offered, is the reference of women by their first names, and men by their last.
President Trump is rarely referred to as “Donald”; Vice President Pence, former President Obama, neither were called “Mike” or “Barack,” respectively.
Senator Harris is almost always referred to as “Kamala”; Speaker Pelosi, former Secretary of State Clinton, Senator Warren, Representative Gabbard, and UN rep Haley are almost exclusively referred to as “Nancy,” “Hillary,” “Elizabeth,” “Tulsi,” and “Nikki,” respectively.
For most, this does not mean much. But for the women who work hard for their title, for it to not even be included, for the respect of a last name to be denied, it is just a reinforcement of their position – one that does not possess much power.
It seems the only way to keep fighting is to keep participating, keep finding women who are willing to be vilified, all in the name of clearing a path for those after them. All in the name of normalizing something that should already be normal.
The Halloween Victim — Shourya Agarwal
Since Bram Stoker’s iconic work, there’s been no going back for the Count. Withstanding numerous adaptations, his story and that of the vampires continue to populate our collective imagination. The vampire legend runs so deep that real people paid real money to sit through two hours of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Moreover, more than 200 movies featuring Dracula have been made in the past 120 years; that’s more than one flick releasing each year. Not to mention the endless representations on television, music, and art. However, a ground reality has stayed constant — Dracula has endured 120 years as a victim of gender and racial stigmatization.
Before examining the extremely problematic aspects surrounding Dracula’s depiction, I want to make my intention clear. This piece is not a ‘woke’ attempt to lurch at social justice. I do not believe that social equality can come about mere armchair intellectualizing. Nonetheless, it is extremely relevant to realize the subliminal discrimination that surrounds an extremely powerful story to understand ourselves as an audience.
Gender
To examine the presence of queer sensibilities in Stoker’s Dracula, it’s worthwhile to acknowledge the heteronormativity of its milieu. Stoker’s close friend, Oscar Wilde was jailed for sodomy when Stoker was writing his novel. Moreover, scholarly research such as those conducted by David Skal reveals Stoker’s repressed sexuality. Modern critics such as Eszter Muskovits have established that Dracula’s sexuality has been shaped by his creator’s orientation. One only has to skim through the original classic to gauge the homoeroticism Dracula’s interaction with Jonathan is steeped in. The recurring phallic symbols such as the quintessential wooden stake along with how Dracula destroys the heterosexual monogamy between Jonathan and Mina by effeminating Jonathan and masculinizing Mina amplify these claims.
Tragically, the modern adaptations of the Count have stripped him of the Otherness that encapsulates his sexuality. These portrayals mischaracterize Dracula’s ‘bloodlust’ into a restrictive heterosexual desire. Instances of such ‘straight-washing’ range from Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) where the cinematic gaze favors Monica Bellucci over Keanu’s Harker and Brides of Dracula (1960) infamous for the sleazy representations of the so-called ‘brides’ for entertainment purposes.
While there can be other vampire characters with creators looking at different aspects of the Dracula myth, Count’s sexuality is an inherent part of his essence. Only due to Dracula’s indiscriminate picking of his victims did the novel transcend the narrow confines of an ‘old wives tale’ to become the cult classic it is today. The moment we snip at it, we reduce the character to a caricature which may definitely be compelling art but is not an authentic portrayal of the Count. The film franchise Hotel Transylvania exemplifies this sentiment perfectly. Though Disney’s Count Dracula is extremely lovable, by casting him into the structure of a stereotypical nuclear family, we lose out on the essence of the original.
Race
The charm of Stoker’s Dracula stems from the antagonist’s ability to personify the worst fears of the Victorian audience. Stephen Arata, a prominent scholar of Victorian Literature, identifies how the idea of reverse colonialism from the East haunted the audience. He examines how the Count’s Eastern European origin provided a face to the English anxiety that contributed to his current standing in pop-culture. The then prevalent bias against Eastern Europe only fanned the flames of this paranoia. What is problematic is the white man’s burden surrounding the quest to exorcise Dracula. Hence, Van Helsing’s bravado is somewhat a crusade against the subaltern miasma that threatens to violate the sanctity of his homeland. To do so, Stoker has to depersonalize the Count by reducing him to a satanic force bereft of even basic human touches like speech. Hence, Stoker deployed Count Dracula’s race as a prop to make him more fearful. Such a representation goes a great way in stigmatizing Dracula’s race which is evident from how even the modern-day Romanians have to deal with exasperating Dracula stereotypes.
Unfortunately, even the modern adaptations of the story rely on dehumanizing Dracula or vampires in general to garner goosebumps. A view which is endorsed by Alyssa Gammello in her thesis, Biting Back. We don’t have to go too far to find an example. Even in 2020, despite being courageous enough to subvert Van Hesling’s gender, BBC has to feature Count’s ‘primitivity’ to make him scary. The macabre depiction of the vampire traveling inside an animal belly is completely unnecessary when the anti-hero could have just flown to the convent.
All is not to ban Dracula or to trample on a deep-rooted cultural icon that has enthralled people across the planet. However, we must be cognizant of how the Count has been wronged to prevent future pathologization of race and gender as instruments for fear-mongering. Since the dawn of history, our society will create and recreate legends. Of course, we cannot go back to seek retribution against centuries of mischaracterization, but can certainly prevent indiscretions in the future. I hope next time you see someone dressed as the Count this Halloween, you would understand the tragedy cloistered in the cape.
A Letter to Amy Coney Barrett — Ruby Wang
Dear Judge Barrett,
I feel so terribly afraid of the power you potentially hold. They say you will remain aligned to your precious party, casting a vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, a case so significant to millions of women. Our president has promised to only nominate a Supreme Court justice who would overturn Roe v. Wade. No doubt you see this title of “Supreme Court justice” enticing, but do you realize how dangerous you are?
The landmark decision of Roe v. Wade granted women the freedom to decide to have an abortion after learning she has become pregnant, without any government restrictions. There are currently five justices appointed by Republican presidents and you might soon be the sixth. If you vote to overturn the protections of Roe v. Wade, abortion will become more inaccessible across the countryn. Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Wisconsin: these states have passed abortion bans which will immediately take effect if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
Judge Barrett, have you ever signed a mortgage or opened a bank account? You wouldn’t have been able to without recently deceased Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose seat you have been nominated to fill. Judge Barrett, you are a mother of seven. I also learned that you were a professor of law. Did you ever fear that a pregnancy would have resulted in you becoming laid off from your teaching job? Justice Ginsburg was also once a law professor, and she had to hide her pregnancy in this role out of fear of being fired. . This practice — firing women solely because of a pregnancy — was common practice only fifty years ago. Ginsburg spent her life challenging this injustice, and many others, spending many years , advocating for heightened workplace protections for pregnant women. For many decades, women could count on Ginsburg to protect them against injustices. Can we count on you, Judge Barrett? Ginsburg worked relentlessly to ensure women had access to abortion care. Will you erase these rights?
I actually admire you for the hard work you’ve done in your career. I was never a student body vice president in my high school like you were. But what if before your senior year, you had gotten pregnant without the option of abortion? You were named the “most outstanding” in the English department at Rhodes College (Brown, 2020). But what if before you graduated from college, you had gotten pregnant without the option of abortion? After college, you wrote for the Notre Dame Law Review and graduated first in your class at Notre Dame Law School. But what if before you received your law degree, you had gotten pregnant without the option of abortion? Would you have been able to graduate from high school? Go to college? Become a lawyer? A professor? Would our president have nominated you to precede Ginsburg still?
I’m still only 18, fresh into college. I aspire to be a lawyer someday, just like you. Eventually, I want to buy my mother a big, comfortable house and my father the car he’s been eying since he immigrated to America. I wish to find a husband who loves me and to create a family when we are ready. But I fear my glimpses into the vivid future I imagine could immediately vanish when I lose my right to control my own body.
My future, and the future of millions of women, is in your hands.
Sincerely,
Ruby
References
Brown, D. (2020, September 26). Notre Dame Law School Professor Barrett nominated to US Supreme Court. Retrieved October 20, 2020, from https://news.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-law-school-professor-barrett-nominated-to-us-supreme-court/
Godlasky, A., Ellis, N., & Sergent, J. (2020, April 23). Where is abortion legal? Everywhere. But … Retrieved October 20, 2020, from https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2019/05/15/abortion-law-map-interactive-roe-v-wade-heartbeat-bills-pro-life-pro-choice-alabama-ohio-georgia/3678225002/
Godlasky, A., Ellis, N., & Sergent, J. (2020, April 23). Where is abortion legal? Everywhere. But … Retrieved October 20, 2020, from https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2019/05/15/abortion-law-map-interactive-roe-v-wade-heartbeat-bills-pro-life-pro-choice-alabama-ohio-georgia/3678225002/
When One Face Leads A Movement — Hannah Duke
Politics and activism can seem daunting when you’re first learning about them. It’s easy to push it away and think I’ll just worry about that later. When I was younger, I used to feel this way often. I would observe adults bickering at the dinner table and question, is it really worth it?
Then, one day, as I was browsing the shelves of Barnes & Noble and contemplating what my next read should be, I saw a conspicuously bright pink book with the title Period written down the side. I thought, this can’t be about menstruation, can it? Sure enough, it was. I bought the book, and thus began my passion for the menstrual movement.
All it took was one book for me to find out what truly got my blood boiling. Once I had a place to begin, my passion surrounding feminism, activism, and politics blossomed. It’s like building a web; you have to start somewhere. Then, you can build outwards, expanding both your knowledge and excitement to make a difference in issues that you care about.
I’ve followed the menstrual movement for years now. I am very passionate about its central issues, which include helping end period poverty and ending the stigma around menstruation. (Don’t even get me started on the tampon tax.) I’ve also followed the author of Period and founder of the non-profit PERIOD, Nadya Okamoto, closely ever since finding her book at Barnes & Noble. She was a major source of inspiration and a role model for me — that is, up until this summer.
Looking back, a problem I should have foreseen with the “period movement” was that it all centered around Okamoto. From her partnership with Adidas and L’Oréal to attending the Golden Globes, Okamoto received all the glory for “her” movement.
Over the summer, Ìlérí Jaiyéọba posted an article calling out Okamoto for monopolizing the menstrual movement and coercing other pre-existing menstrual-related organizations to dissolve their groups and join hers. Since this article’s release, many have come forward stating that similar acts of coercion resulted in their smaller grassroots organizations being dissolved into the greater PERIOD nonprofit, resulting in the theft of intellectual property, plagiarism, and other manipulations. Most saddening is that many of the organizations affected by Okamoto’s actions were run by black women and women of color.
The original idea behind PERIOD’s work was amazing and inspiring, but it is overshadowed by Okamoto’s attempts to monopolize the menstrual movement for personal glory. Intentional or not, Okamoto hurt countless people in her rise to recognition. (You can read her response here.)
I learned a lot watching these events unfold over this past summer. Most importantly, ‘we’ is so much more powerful than ‘I.’ True change can only happen when people gather together, and the leaders of these movements focus on the people in the movement, not themselves. With Okamoto, I should have seen it sooner. I should have wondered, why does there only seem to be one organization (PERIOD) at the forefront of the menstrual movement? Why is there only one person (Okamoto) visible at the head of that organization, receiving all the glory for the organization’s work?
It’s true; activism and politics can seem really daunting at first. But if you’re interested in getting involved, the first step should be understanding that at the end of the day, it should be about improving the quality of everyone’s lives, not about personal gain or glory.
And… if you want to be part of the change and support some incredible black-led menstrual-related organizations, here’s a list courtesy of Jaiyéọba’s article:
#HappyPeriod https://hashtaghappyperiod.org/our-story/
Voting Journal — Sofia Silvosa
September 27, 2020
The election is getting closer and closer. People around me are helping people register to vote. I saw a piece of paper taped to my dorm room door. It was a paper from my RA asking if to check off if I was registered and if not to let her know so she could print us a paper.
September 28, 2020
It’s the first presidential debate. Some friends and I gathered in the common room to see it. It was exciting; it was the first time I was going to see a presidential debate eligible to vote. It was also my first time seeing a political debate with friends. Even though understandably, these election times are stressful I was growing to appreciate the community I was forming; we’re all going through this hectic process together.
September 30, 2020
Should I change my registration to North Carolina? Stay registered in Florida? North Carolina? Florida? Both are important swing states.
I finally made my decision. I requested my absentee ballot, changed my mailing address–ready to vote.
October 2, 2020
I was glad to see the North Carolina Registration tent by the West Campus. So many happy faces, excited to help.
October 7, 2020
Time for the Vice Presidential debate. I saw it with one of my friends. Similar to the presidential debate it elicited so many emotions; I was stressed, worried, content in some parts and even laughed–you know the part.
October 9, 2020
My parents called. I asked them about their voting plan. They are planning to vote in person in a few weeks. Their excitement was contagious. It was their first time voting in a U.S presidential election since we became U.S citizens merely three years ago. Us rookies were in it together.
October 14, 2020
My ballot arrived! I opened it and read through the instructions. There I was filling all the bubbles, doing some research on the Miami-Dade political candidates. I signed on the back of the envelope. I was nervous I did something wrong. I didn’t get the ballot wet or dirty right? Did I correctly fill the bubbles? Did I accidentally vote for the incorrect person? Stop panicking. I was going to mail my ballot tomorrow.
October 15, 2020
After class, I walked to the Bryan center with my envelope. Two girls had a “Vote in 2020” sign. They asked me whether I was going to vote. I chuckled and showed them my envelope. This was finally the day.
