This is a poem about all the conflicting feelings people-all people, from young to old-can experience around their birthdays.

The two poems I have submitted, give voice to the most defining journeys of my soul, stitching together the pain, triumph, and resilience that have shaped me.

My first poem, Unwinnable War, was inspired by a song and the other two of these poems I wrote based on my emotions.

Relationships have always been at the center of my life.

Young love, isn’t it beautiful?

Starlight is based on a personal encounter I had while volunteering at a local clinic in my community.

Poetry is my favorite way of self expression.

This is a story of two high school friends trying to solve a school mystery in a world of fantasy.

I hadn’t ever written poetry until I took a creative writing elective this fall.

A few months ago I passed out from horrible period cramps and was rushed to the hospital.

Writing contests always receive submissions centered around cultural identity.

My poem ”Seven-Thousand” is about my Filipino identity, touching on themes of injustice, displacement, and self-discovery.

It’s me talking about something that happed on Friday which kind of made me break down a bit.

This short story is written as if from a fictional book series that I am currently in the process of writing, that I call ”Tales of Arnen and the Lands Beyond.”

I wrote this poem in the end of last year after being sexually assaulted by someone I once called a close friend.

The making of Mourning ; Morning was a simple time. I wrote it out of boredom, yet only a little bit later, it took on a much deeper meaning for me.

This story was born from a desire to capture the beauty of life at its simplest, emerging from the things we all take for granted, and ending with the gentle caress for death.

I wrote this piece to focus on how time can slow down in certain moments.

This story is a longer version of what I had originally written.

These two poems show two really interesting parts of my life.