Spectrum Literary-Arts Magazine “There is an eternal landscape, a geography of the soul; we search for its outlines all our lives. ” -Josephine Hart Detroit Country Day School 22305 West Thirteen Mile Road Beverly Hills, MI 48025-4435 Headmaster: Mr. Glen Shilling Upper School Director: Mr. Tim Bearden Phone: 248-646-7717 Website: www.dcds.edu Volume No. 47 “Violinist” page art by Ann Zhang “Jubilance” cover art by Sophia Zhang Cover Font: Gill Sans Canvas Artwork: Painting (Acrylic) by Sophia Zhang Edited on Adobe InDesign CS6.1 Typography Title page: Papyrus Table of Contents: Tempus Sans ITC Body: Imprint MT Shadow By-lines: Tempus Sans ITC Credits: Tempus Sans ITC Design Computer program: Adobe InDesign CS5.5 Paper Stock Copy Paper Photography Ms. Susan Lucas Spectrum is Detroit Country Day School’s literary magazine organized by Spectrum club members. As such, our goal is to represent the student body through creative writing. This annual issue is the culmination of both club members’ and non-club members’ work. As a club, Spectrum offers student writers the opportunity to write, edit, or ponder poetry once a week every Tuesday. We also have an insert in the school newspaper. An important aspect of the club is the encouraging environment for students to produce their writing. Students explore the artistic process of writing with the aid of staffers, the review of their writing, and the pride of published work. Editors-in-Chief: Anusha Mamidipaka and Sophia Zhang Associate Editors: Amanda Bradley and Lorraine Yuen Interns: Julia Shen and Anna Sun Editorial Board: Kiana Sadri, Tara Tang, and Jiwon Yun Faculty Advisor: Mrs. Beverly Hannett-Price Special Thanks: Sean Davis The Art Department The English Department Student Visual-Artists and Writers Submissions are accepted year-round and can be sent to staff- ers and the faculty advisor Mrs. Hannett-Price by dropping off hard copies in room 130 or by emailing work to BPrice@dcds. edu. We accept all types of creative writing. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Landscape Theme 1 “Outside the Window“ Sophia Zhang 2 Anusha Mamidipaka FOREST Forest Section Introduction 3 “Pulse” Samina Saifee 4 “Crystal” Jessica Patnaik 5 “Statement Piece” Madison Copley 6 “I Wish I Could Write in Layers” Brett Arenberg 8 “Season Leaves” Anusha Mamidipaka 9 “Between Shades of Blue” Leila Hilf 10 “Billions of Words” Val Selektor 12 “Perspective” Anna Sun 13 “Dancing in the Rain” Anushri Radhakrishnan 14 “While We Wait for the Moon Sofia Spencer 16 to Fall” “Collateral Damage” Madison Copley 20 “Reverie” Jessica Patnaik 21 “In Her Dreams” Kiana Sadri 22 “Memories” Reshma Dukkipati 23 “Escape” Meghana Gudapati 24 “Bloom” Julia Shen 25 “Starry Night, Dreaming Night” Val Selektor 26 “Eyes” Colton Zander 27 “Forest of Memories” Brett Arenberg 28 “In These Woods” Connor Matthews 29 “Journey in the Embrace Kiana Sadri, Tara Tang, 30 of the Sun” and Jiwon Yun TABLE OF CONTENTS DESERT Desert Section Introduction 32 “Small Space” Sophia Zhang 33 “An Array of Thoughts Kiana Sadri 34 from the Past and Present” “Aaliyah” Samina Saifee 36 “Part One: Oil and Blood” Mariam Srour 37 “Blacken Tara Tang 39 “Inside Out” Jiwon Yun 40 “Dear 15 Year Old Self” Lorraine Yuen 42 “Terracotta Lightning” Amanda Bradley 43 “Siren’s Call” Kiana Sadri 45 “We All Bleed Red Wine” Anushri Radhakrishnan 46 “Butterfly” Tara Tang 49 “The Scientific Method” Samina Saifee 50 “The Wasteland” Anusha Mamidipaka 52 “A World Full of Lies” Fatimah Zeni 54 “44.8368 °N, 0.5792 °W” Anna Murad 56 “Bloodbath, Birdbath” Amanda Bradley 57 “From a Single Touch” Alicia Wang 58 “Portrait of a little girl...” Jiwon Yun 59 TABLE OF CONTENTS MOUNTAIN Mountain Section Introduction 60 “My Blurred World Sofia Spencer 61 “December Nights” Sophia Zhang 62 “In Darkness, We’re Kept” Brett Arenberg 63 “The Clouds in my Brain” Anisa Pezeshki 64 “She Told Us About Farah” Bianca Desai 65 “My Son” Anna Sun 66 “19 Years in Syria” Anusha Mamidipaka 68 “The Journey of Life ” Colton Zander 70 “The Facade” Anisa Pezeshki 71 “Time We Start Living” Brett Arenberg 72 “The Rose That Thought Amanda Bradley 73 It Was a Tree” “Views” Anusha Mamidipaka 74 “Tasting Memories” Sophia Zhang 75 “Comfort” Tara Tang 76 “Empty Prayers” Kiana Sadri 77 “For This I Am Grateful” Stavros Cardasis 78 “Glazed Eyes” Anusha Mamidipaka 79 “Zero Gravity” Quinn Babcock 80 “The Meaning of Friendship” Bianca Desai 84 “Odyssey” Samina Saifee 85 TABLE OF CONTENTS OCEAN Ocean Section Introduction 86 “Speak to Me” Destiny Agomuoh 87 “The Town of Broken Maheen Haq 88 Dreams” “Onion Heart” Julia Shen 92 “Chasing Light” Sophia Zhang 93 “Secrets” Jiwon Yun 94 “Birth of Stars” Mariam Srour 97 “Only Memories Remain” Elle Catalano 98 “Of Ice and Rain” Amanda Bradley 100 “The Rocks” Omer Siddiqui 103 “Nothing” Anna Sun 104 “Deceiving Creature” Jessica Patnaik 106 “Biology Class” Jiwon Yun 107 “Never What It Seems Michelle Matejka 109 to Be” “Too Far Gone” Samina Saifee 110 “Aphotic Dust” Destiny Agomuoh 112 “I Need You” Anushri Radhakrishnan 113 “Until I Find My Wings” Sofia Spencer 114 “Skeleton Fingers” Val Selektor 116 “Deepest Reflections” Connor Matthews 117 “Slow Silence” Sophia Zhang 118 Letters from the Staff 120 Credits 123 art table of contents “Geometric Blue Necklace” Noreen Khan 5 (Metals) “Leaf Knight Armor” Isabella Rosenberg 9 (Metals) “5th Dimension” Roderick Claybrooks 11 (Graphic Design) “My Brother” Sabriya Imami 13 (Painting) “Flipped” Julia Shen 14 (Painting) “Roku Circle” Nishal Patel 15 (Ceramics) “Private Hideaway” Rishuv Mehta 19 (Graphic Design) “Insomnia” Helena Li 20 (Charcoal Drawing) “Epiphany” Meghan Guo 21 (Metals) “Strawberries and Cream” Lauren Boos 25 (Photography) “Vanity” Sasha Hartje 27 (Photography) “Clock Face” Madison Copley 28 (Drawing) “All My Friends” Isabel Stanton 31 (Mixed Media) “Encapsulated” Julia Shen 33 (Painting) “Former Home” Angela Lee 35 (Charcoal Drawing) “Colored Streaks” Madison Copley 36 (Drawing) “Chromatic Bottle” Angie Suo 38 (Ceramics) “Shock” Erin Shi 39 (Mixed Media) “All Hands on Neck” Laurel Lyngklip 42 (Metals) art table of contents “Jukebox” Ava Porter 44 (Photography) “Two Face” Ava Porter 45 (Pencil Drawing) “Refusal” Sydney Jiang 48 (Mixed Media) “Licorice Dress” Rachel Barra 49 (Fashion Design) “Inquiry” Julia Shen 51 (Pencil Drawing) “Hypnosis” Olivia Heppard 53 (Ceramics) “Decapitated” Ava Porter 54 (Painting) “Childhood Resurrection” Sydney Jiang 57 (Sculpture) “STAHP” Erin Shi 65 (Painting) “Best Friend Kolin” Isaiah Johnson 67 (Pencil Drawing) “Bird of Paradise” Grant Petrucci 69 (Ceramics) “Icy Waters” Rishuv Mehta 70 (Graphic Design) “Afternoon Solitude” Sophia Zhang 71 (Painting) “Encased Shrub” Paul Roesler 73 (Metals) “A Bird’s Eye View” Aiman Boxwalla 74 (Photography) “Mesmerized” Yining Zhang 76 (Pencil Drawing) “Interrupted Selfie” Jane Kim 83 (Photography) “Reflection” Meghan Krushena 87 (Ceramics) art table of contents “Colorful Life” Laura Bongers 91 (Photography) “Rhythm” Aiman Boxwalla 92 (Mixed Media) “Crushed” Jessica Patnaik 93 (Pencil Drawing) “Split Personality” Larah Haj Diab 96 (Photography) “Star Gazer” Missy Morgan 97 (Photography) “Robot” Alex Nusbaum 99 (Sculpture) “Trafficked” Anjul Bhangu 102 (Metals) “Jellyfish” Camryn Burks 103 (Ceramics) “Surprise” Yining Zhang 105 (Pencil Drawing) “Virus” Becket McNulty 106 (Metals) “Oscillating” Shrikant Chand 109 (Ceramics) “Dangerous Fashion” Annie Kurnick 111 (Fashion Design) “The Painting” Anusha Mamidipaka 112 (Acrylic Painting) “Aphrodite on Tindr” Helen Yang 113 (Watercolor Painting) “Before I Hatch” Sofia Spencer 115 (Pen Drawing) “Peace” Angela Lee 116 (Mixed Media) “Double Color” Rishuv Mehta 117 (Photography) “Two Toned” Lucy Liu 118 (Ceramics) “Tranquility” Yining Zhang 119 (Acrylic Painting) 1 LANDSCAPES ___ The theme of the 2017 SPECTRUM issue is S landscapes: forests, deserts, mountains, and oceans. Each environment is a unique feature of the Earth, but P also connotes characteristics that represent the stages E of growth in an individual’s life. The forest is an area C bursting with wildlife, embodying a whimsical place T of liveliness. It is the setting of fairytales and child- R hood memories, of youth and energy. In the desert, U although one can face hardship and challenges, the ex- M periences generate passionate emotions and memories. The mountains represent continued growth as an indi- vidual climbs higher through experience and learning. 2 However, one can never forget the foundation that is 0 needed for life: family, identity, and character. Lastly, 1 the vast and mysterious ocean symbolizes the accu- 7 mulation of all the experiences in an individual’s life. Sometimes, each wave cries in mourning. Some days the quiet waters call for reflection. These four terrains constitute a harmonious Earth, and in this issue, we explore the spectrum that exists across different landscapes. We hope you enjoy reading! 2 OUTSIDE THE WINDOW ___ Open your window S To feel sunlight exhaling softness into broken bones, P Wakening feathered wings stretching parallel to the horizon. Torrents of light twirl the curtains. E C Step outdoors T To hear the leaves shiver in the whisper of morning sun The gentle hum of insects vibrating in the air R Teeming with energy. U M Wander Among the softly lit trees swaying in the whispering breeze. Freshly clipped grass kisses your bare ankles, 2 Toenails peek through with the glimmer of chipped polish. 0 Journey deeper 1 To where branches beckon with a mysterious finger, 7 And explore trodden paths. Stepping into the unknown, The sun invites us to dance. Sophia Zhang and Anusha Mamidipaka 3 ___ S P E FOREST C T R U “Your head is a living forest full of songbirds.” M ― e. e. cummings 2 0 LIVELY 1 7 ENCHANTING CREATIVITY FAMILY GROUNDED YOUTH DWELLING 4 PULSE ___ The lights waltz across the edges of our complexion, and S you revel in the fleeting veil of the silhouettes that conceal the guilt. Guilt that you insist on carrying even in the moments P when it’s just the two of us, surrounded by walls you paint E with vivid depictions that you envision in the midst of driftless C conversations.