By David Wyman
Swirling violins viola & cello
repeating symmetries lifting, the room.
This is where hyper-quantization
comes in, a secret ideology
invading your head till
you feel hacked, everything
being on the grid. A yellow streetlight
signifying memory
opening like a mirror
when it gives the impression
of expanding space. And the line keeps
advancing, in riot gear now
in this direction. Today, we’re moving
along an axis darkly
in ‘great broken rings,’ like swans.
By Cami Stephens | Observer Contributor
“Cordial. Stay Cordial. Don’t lose your cool.”
I chant that to myself with utter urgency,
hoping I can believe those lucrative words,
wishing your inconsideration, inconsistency, and incompetence did not affect me.
The chant fades into the back of my ruthless mind.
A chant loses its power without repetition.
I couldn’t repeat it anymore.
Now I’m a maniac.
Everything you do, I can’t stand it.
I can’t deal with you:
Your urgency, your abruptness, your terror.
You’re inhospitable, yet you invade my warmth, desperately searching for hospitality.
By Daniel Dow | Editor-in-Chief
“Ring-a-ring-a-rosies, A pocket full of posies. Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down!” A simple nursery rhyme, but the first time I heard my daughter sing it, it sent shivers down my spine. My daughter, who is nearly three, shouldn’t know this song and yes, a children’s playlist put on shuffle could easily play it. But I do not recall her ever hearing it. That being said, I still find it strange that this is the song she regularly runs up to me and sings.
I know it is just a nursery rhyme, but it does have a strange history. One that is surrounded by some of the world’s darkest days of death and disease. An interesting fact I learned many years ago was when I studied the Black Plague during high school history class. Thinking about this vivid memory and where the world finds itself now–dealing with a mass pandemic–certainly emphasized that eerie feeling. Every time I heard it, I just thought of all the negative connotations the song held. However, I tried to ignore it. It made my daughter happy and that’s all that mattered.
By Maddison Willigar | Assistant Editor
A drink so sweet, but just as cruel and vile
to sit and taunt me with its lasting spell
of drowning out the ache with a denial
that pours its antidote on every cell.
The champagne felt so warm on frozen lips,
like shocks that would resuscitate my heart.
It blurred the lines between companionship
and filling the void with numbing counterparts.
I poured so many cups of endless wine
to wash the bitter taste of our love down.
The innocence of us once bonafide,
but now a mulling ache in which I drown.
By Mandy Limbaugh | Observer Contributor
The sun…
Shines through the crystal blue trees
As the ground warms to a rose-colored field.
The green leaves grow with every touch of the sun.
Mother earth then takes a deep breath.
As the ground warms to a rose-colored field,
The beauty of the forest comes alive with a magnificent display of colors.
The colors are so vibrant that they could take your breath away.
Mother earth then takes a deep breath,
Knowing that she was the creator of it all.
The fragileness of the forest could give away at any second,
By Cami Stephens | Assistant Editor
Smile. You must smile.
Don’t ever let your smile turn into a frown.
If you’re sad, don’t worry, a smile can help fix everything.
Did you forget to smile?
I try to smile in the mirror, but how do I smile when my brain only allows myself to frown.
I cannot force elation; my brain is too engulfed in devastating despair.
I know you get mad when I cannot smile, but I cannot fake it any longer.
I promise I’m not forgetting to smile, it doesn’t come naturally anymore.
By Maddie Willigar | Assistant Editor
After Aron Wiesenfeld’s “Greenhouse”
I remember standing here like an angel clothed in baby’s
breath: damp hair blowing in the wind by the greenhouse where
there was nothing left but buds and dew, no remanence but the
faint scent of you passing through like the wind softly
kisses the grass and leaves not a trace of itself behind.
I watched the buds struggle to bloom in their cage and
reach towards dim light. But what more could a mother
do except watch them grow only to know they would
By Daniel Dow | Editor in Chief
Greetings MWCC students,
Moving forward, the Mount Observer will feature a creating writing section spotlighting students’ poetry and short stories. In an effort to drive creativity and to interact with our community the paper will also post a writing prompt each month that is selected at random by rolling writing dice. Dice will be rolled to create a prompt for each of the five w’s (who, what, when, where, and why); the author will then need to use each of the rolled themes in their creative piece, which should be around 1000 words. When completed, your pieces can be submitted to mountobserver@mwcc.mass.edu and the journalism team will choose the most relevant, creative, and polished pieces to publish. All members of the college are encouraged to participate in this activity!
By Maddie Willigar | Assistant Editor
A chill still haunts my lungs from the words I never spoke.
They blew mistily through the air and carried weightless in the cold
because though I walked through walls for you, I was always just a
ghost.
Like an empty figure walking past your screens of smoke,
digging beneath your fire to find bits of treasured gold,
a chill still haunts my lungs for the words I never spoke.
Buried with my bones will be pieces that you broke
and left to sit in damp and filth, as they waste and rot and mold
because though I walked through walls for you, I was always just a
ghost.
By Cami Stephens | Observer Contributor
I remember the first day you bought me.
“Look how pretty that doll is! I want her!”
Your eyes widened with passion and infatuation.
If only I knew that passion would be influenced by fiery.
I remember the day you took me out of the box,
You brushed my long blonde hair and told me how beautiful I was.
You couldn’t stop showing your friends and family your new, unused
rag doll.
“She’s so precious! I love her!” is what you say– while you look at me
with obsession.