Amphitrite (Sapphire & Pearl)
JASMINE EVANS
Hold her between your teeth
She's a gem
Isn't she
.
You knew from the moment you
tasted her
She was
.
Priceless
Priceless
Priceless
.
.
It's not every day
you get to hold
the ocean in your hands
.
To look into a goddess’s eyes
& be crushed beneath their depth
.
.
For all you know
she's Amphitrite
.
How’s it feel to have salt
caking the walls of your weak mortal lungs
.
I bet that kiss cost you
a pretty penny
.
Was it worth it
.
Did you find what you were
looking for
And then some
from two tone
MALIA HANES
She was everything you wanted her to be
Two tone touch fingers too soft, delicate at the edges and rosy cheeks that burned in the sun
She was the fire in your world of glass
The brightest spark in a world where everything shined
She was the pen to your heart
Drawing a line to show you where to lead it
The eyes to your blindness
Leading you in a world that you can’t see
Taking your hand slowly
And reminding you that life is wonderful
The wind was dancing through her hair
Your two voices were melodic in a space that screamed darkness
She inhaled the old cigarette fumes and out came the smell of violets on a cool summer’s evening when all you want to do is stare at the stars
She made your story complete
But it kept on going
She was your foil
Reflecting the best and the worst parts about you
She touched your heart, gently at first
Holding each part in it slowly
Gripping it to remind you that she was there
She danced around the flames that you lit for her
Laughing at nothing
And crying at everything
You were the world
And she orbited you
But she became
Two tone don’t touch me ever, delicate at the edges and rosy cheeks that burned the sun
She watched the world from afar
Taking it but never allowing herself to be happy
The world was orbiting around her
Faster this time
And it only stopped when she told it to
She was the ruler of the universe
As you watched from afar
Gripping the edges of your seat
Wondering what would happen next
She left you on a cliff hanger
And spun you around some more
But she still danced around the flames
Lit up in a circle that smelled of roses and love at first sight
She picked up petals delicately
Holding each one
Taking every last detail into consideration
Never considering the roots that it sprung from
How they used to dance around the room for you too
How she would stop and smell them
Daintily twirling one around her finger
But now they dance for her
Why can’t they dance for you too?
from two tone
MALIA HANES
She was everything you wanted her to be
Two tone touch fingers too soft, delicate at the edges and rosy cheeks that burned in the sun
She was the fire in your world of glass
The brightest spark in a world where everything shined
She was the pen to your heart
Drawing a line to show you where to lead it
The eyes to your blindness
Leading you in a world that you can’t see
Taking your hand slowly
And reminding you that life is wonderful
The wind was dancing through her hair
Your two voices were melodic in a space that screamed darkness
She inhaled the old cigarette fumes and out came the smell of violets on a cool summer’s evening when all you want to do is stare at the stars
She made your story complete
But it kept on going
She was your foil
Reflecting the best and the worst parts about you
She touched your heart, gently at first
Holding each part in it slowly
Gripping it to remind you that she was there
She danced around the flames that you lit for her
Laughing at nothing
And crying at everything
You were the world
And she orbited you
But she became
Two tone don’t touch me ever, delicate at the edges and rosy cheeks that burned the sun
She watched the world from afar
Taking it but never allowing herself to be happy
The world was orbiting around her
Faster this time
And it only stopped when she told it to
She was the ruler of the universe
As you watched from afar
Gripping the edges of your seat
Wondering what would happen next
She left you on a cliff hanger
And spun you around some more
But she still danced around the flames
Lit up in a circle that smelled of roses and love at first sight
She picked up petals delicately
Holding each one
Taking every last detail into consideration
Never considering the roots that it sprung from
How they used to dance around the room for you too
How she would stop and smell them
Daintily twirling one around her finger
But now they dance for her
Why can’t they dance for you too?
from two tone
MALIA HANES
She was everything you wanted her to be
Two tone touch fingers too soft, delicate at the edges and rosy cheeks that burned in the sun
She was the fire in your world of glass
The brightest spark in a world where everything shined
She was the pen to your heart
Drawing a line to show you where to lead it
The eyes to your blindness
Leading you in a world that you can’t see
Taking your hand slowly
And reminding you that life is wonderful
The wind was dancing through her hair
Your two voices were melodic in a space that screamed darkness
She inhaled the old cigarette fumes and out came the smell of violets on a cool summer’s evening when all you want to do is stare at the stars
She made your story complete
But it kept on going
She was your foil
Reflecting the best and the worst parts about you
She touched your heart, gently at first
Holding each part in it slowly
Gripping it to remind you that she was there
She danced around the flames that you lit for her
Laughing at nothing
And crying at everything
You were the world
And she orbited you
But she became
Two tone don’t touch me ever, delicate at the edges and rosy cheeks that burned the sun
She watched the world from afar
Taking it but never allowing herself to be happy
The world was orbiting around her
Faster this time
And it only stopped when she told it to
She was the ruler of the universe
As you watched from afar
Gripping the edges of your seat
Wondering what would happen next
She left you on a cliff hanger
And spun you around some more
But she still danced around the flames
Lit up in a circle that smelled of roses and love at first sight
She picked up petals delicately
Holding each one
Taking every last detail into consideration
Never considering the roots that it sprung from
How they used to dance around the room for you too
How she would stop and smell them
Daintily twirling one around her finger
But now they dance for her
Why can’t they dance for you too?
Hopeless Mask
RACHEL FRIEDMAN
Lackluster wisps of quiet emotion seep
underneath my nails which i try so hard
To keep clean of your silent hope that life
Continuously presses up to them
Dull aching claws at my emotion that
The hopeless part of my brain feverishly
overlooks, drowned in pounding music, but
The cold mask always cracks, eventually
Hopeless Mask
RACHEL FRIEDMAN
Lackluster wisps of quiet emotion seep
underneath my nails which i try so hard
To keep clean of your silent hope that life
Continuously presses up to them
Dull aching claws at my emotion that
The hopeless part of my brain feverishly
overlooks, drowned in pounding music, but
The cold mask always cracks, eventually
Hopeless Mask
RACHEL FRIEDMAN
Lackluster wisps of quiet emotion seep
underneath my nails which i try so hard
To keep clean of your silent hope that life
Continuously presses up to them
Dull aching claws at my emotion that
The hopeless part of my brain feverishly
overlooks, drowned in pounding music, but
The cold mask always cracks, eventually
Sam Robbins (He/Him) (editor in chief) A 10th grader at Hampshire Regional, Sam enjoys creative writing, music, and performing arts. You might see him wandering aimlessly around the streets of Williamsburg Mass or lost in the Hampshire County forest.
Zorah Miller (She/Her) (digital issue editor)
Liz
Rachel Friedman (she/her) (poetry editor) is a senior at the Academy at Charlemont. She’s often found listening to music, planning way too much of her future out, and writing—a lot. She's so excited to be editing for 2-West again!
Chanina Kosovske (poetry, prose editor) is a senior at the Academy at Charlemont. He likes to make bad puns and write poetry.
Isadore Schiff (visual art editor) is a senior at the Academy at Charlemont. He enjoys playing music and making jokes no one understands (pun intended). This is his first year with 2-West.
Jonathan Schmidt (he/him) (poetry, prose, visual art, and digital media editor) is a senior at the Academy At Charlemont. He can be found meandering through a variety of surrealist literature, on a basketball court somewhere in Amherst, on a hike somewhere, or (on the second tuesday of an odd-numbered month) writing. This is his first year editing 2-West and second (non-continuous) year submitting.
Note: We want to thank Claire Grunberg, an alum of the Academy at Charlemont, for her co-founding of and devotion to 2-West! We would also like to thank Juliet Corwin and Rachel Friedman, for their superb leadership of 2-West for the past several years!
If you are a Western-Massachusetts high schooler and would like to sign up to be an editor of 2-West, please fill out this form.
