New York, New York

By Austin Lopez

New York, New York the city all about the rush rumble

New York, New York the city with all the gleam glimmer

New York, New York the city without hush or humble

New York, New York the city on the seam to simmer

The doorstep of the United States

New York, New York the city of lights and lobby

New York, New York the city for chaos and cameras

New York, New York the city that fights and folly

New York, New York the city seance and the tram rush

The city truly not on a hill but on a podium for all to see

New York, New York the city of dreams and the dammed

New York, New York the city of art and arc

New York, New York the city that seams crammed

New York, New York the city, the mart mark of the U.S

The melting pot with a thousand ingredients

New York, New York

Regrets

By Austin Lopez

Regret is met

With shame of its name

Cries and lies

Art of the heart

Mental walls sentimental falls

Tears and fears come to pass

A mistake to partake

Unrest is constant pest

To rue repent, to sue lament

Alone, a crone of our own making

Regret is set

Now I Water Fake Flowers

By Alyssa Reid

Everybody had forks in their fists

A dinner party wind-thrown list

A nonchalant

“Don’t worry about the water rushing in”

Guess if you talk pretty, they listen

They might even respect you for playing them

As for me

I play nice because assets don’t forget

Back then was a hundred

Reasons to run

When I couldn’t remember

Any of them

You said this is where life leads you

You said

“Keep your head up,” and I believed you

Now I water fake flowers to please you

Taken me time to see

You’re nothing but formality

Guess I’ve seen too many

Glass lies washed in gasoline

In your game, queens bow to you

But checkmate, you lose

Plastic? You bet

I’ve got reasons to run

I want to believe in something—

This is nothing but a team of

Yes men,

Yes ma’am.