For many years now, Judge Memorial students have been putting together an annual literary magazine. Our litmag, called Catharsis, features art, poetry, prose, and more that the students have created during the school year. Before publishing, the staff editors single out a piece from each category that is especially exceptional. The piece below is a staff pick from the 2017-2018 edition:
Girls Watching Boys
Sweating and smiling in spaghetti straps
blowing bubblegum and peeling it off the edges of their lips,
pruning, stretching, flattening it against the backs of their teeth
and the corrugated roofs of their mouths.
Twisting flimsy rings around fingers,
stained sea glass green by cheap metal.
The sound of basketballs hitting cool pavement sliding through
open windows
and looping around the napes of their necks and ankles.
Swiping at flyaway hair that changes colors in the sun
and gets caught between eyelashes.
Squinted eyes watching the breeze
ripple the boys shirts against
their broad backs.
…
Sera Cazares
This piece is one of my personal favorites from the 2017-2018 edition. It has stood out in my head since the very first time I read it. The author’s use of alliteration in the first line and simple imagery throughout the poem set an easygoing, casual scene that I wish I could be a part of. My favorite part is the line about cheap rings staining the girls’ fingers.
