when i think of my childhood, you’re in it. we were silent together, at first, picking our way around stones in a woodland maze. you wanted to show everyone your favorite spot during the hike- where the terrain changed from clustered ferns and mossy trees to a spreading swath of land dotted with shrubs. we climbed for a long time to reach the crest of the hill. i remember the colors as purple and gray, and dusty brown. i remember trailing you down the gravel pathway, smiling at the cows.

when i think of the summer sky, it holds a fried golden sun, swinging daintily on a string. we swam where our feet touched the silt of the lake floor, where i shrieked as you held a tangle of algae on a stick above my head, where your mom yelled at you and i laughed. every single time without fail you told me i was short and i rolled my eyes. that was the summer you tried to teach me about dungeons and dragons, i wanted to be an elf (you said i was too short).

when we were very small we fell asleep on bart trains. or, we were awake and loud and made puppets with our hands, to the displeasure of the other passengers. i said i thought it was a peacock and you said that it was, and our moms laughed at us. we had seen a play at the building with the spiral staircase and we watched the sky as the city zoomed by on the way home (we held our breath in the tunnels).

it began with our kindergarten classroom, the round tables, the alphabet rug. we danced in the nutcracker together- sequined in red and green- i hated it. i followed you around sometimes (you were such a jerk) but you ignored me. i’m still following you and i refuse to be ignored. shut up and be my friend. i love you. lulu.

p.s. happy birthday

Hi all! A poem of mine involving a reimagining of the myth of Narcissus and Echo has been published in a dream, selective (there was a less than 2.9% acceptance rate this issue!) magazine of mine called Perhappened Mag! I would appreciate it endlessly if you read it here, seeing as it’s a poem I’m proud of!:

https://www.perhappened.com/echotakesaloversunnyvuong.html

Along with that, the rest of this Issue 08: LOVERS is amazing as well! We were told that out of the over 1,000 submissions Perhappened received, 29 pieces were chosen for publication. Please enjoy this journal’s hard work along with some amazing writers’ pieces! https://www.perhappened.com/issue8lovers.html

Good morning! As many of you know, in late 2020, I founded a literary magazine with a team of editors. We accepted submissions until early December, and two months of editing and proofreading and decisions later: it’s here--Issue 01! Please read these brilliant works of poetry and prose at https://www.interstellarlit.com/issue01!

Additionally, feel free to navigate the rest of our website--we’ve made some updates since you’ve last seen it. I hope you enjoy reading our inaugural issue!

Best regards,

Sunny Vuong

Founder and EIC, Interstellar Literary Review

the altar is cold and unforgiving, hard stone against soft skin. tears cushion my damp cheek as it rests near the patch of moss. this shrine has not been used in years, and the wood sitting on top has wilted in the rain. it is funny how the world is silent in the face of abandonment.

i turn my eyes to the stars above.

i used to come here every day, faith strong as iron in my heart as i stood steadfast, my young face turned to the seemingly unending pillar of belief in quiet awe. now, i am much older; there are bags underneath my once-sparkling eyes, and my body is tired. i do not even know why i came here. nobody can help me under these blanched columns. 

my mind has not stopped whirling around in circles, and it is beyond me why i cannot grasp the confidence i felt all those years ago. how did i kneel at the base of the altar and proclaim my religion over and over again with no hesitation? how did i let myself get taken underneath that holy water with no fear of drowning? how did i study those scriptures with my whole heart, drinking in every word as if it would save my life? it seems impossible, for now i can barely lay on the ground near the statues of worship without breaking. 

once i realized what i could not find here anymore, i had traveled the entire world, hoping to find another altar -- one that was full of life and light. i was so hopeful back then, hopeful in the face of heartbreak and despair. in the end, the latter triumphed, and i ended up back here, where i am today. my hair is long and my feet are swollen, and wasting away here does not seem like a poor option after all. better to die in a familiar but lost home than to die in a strange and anxious land.

i have accepted my fate. i ask the deities i once tried to find to forgive me for the sins i have committed -- it is not their fault that my eyesight is poor. i take off my cloak, the last protection i have against the elements. my sandals are lain on the ground, pressed up against the stone wall. before i lay down, however, there is one last thing i must do. i turn around, facing the altar as i once did when i was young, and beg for divinity to reveal itself to me, so i may know that i have not been forsaken my whole life.

the world still stands silent in the face of abandonment.

i lay down and breathe my last.

as i am travel bound, / wait for me to come home. /

keep my name in your gardens, / and i’ll keep yours as i roam. /

for as gold is to a flower, / and as luster is to a jade, /

i may be gone now, / but soon, i’ll be back to stay. /

time has helped us, / so now, let us share our pain: /

for all we’ve changed, / the best parts of us remain. /

like the lotus that blooms / in the hardiest of places, /

our love is one crafted / to last through the ages.

#lianhuaslices

If a list had to be made of two things that irritated Captain Solara the most, it would be made of two understandable items: easily avoidable issues with her ship, and men. And there were no men in her vicinity as of now, so.

Solara's jaw twitches. "Repeat yourself, Lieutenant."

"Our cabin boy's insisting there's somethin' nasty caught in our nets," Lieutenant Lei supplies. She shifts from foot to foot, sheepish. "Cap'n, I really think it's oughta--"

"If Tuffy got caught in one of the cannons again, I don' wanna hear it. Just tell one of the powder monkeys to get 'er out, yeah?"

"No, Captain," Lieutenant Lei answers, shaking her head. "It's really somethin'. The bos'n thinks ye'll wants to see it."

Solara frowns. The bos'n was hesitant to entertain Tuffy as is, so if they thought it was important...

Solara sighs, fixing the brim of her hat. "Let's head over to 'em, then. Best not be wasting my time, lieutenant."

Lieutenant Lei gives a tight nod. She hoists herself over a wooden ledge, leading them over to where a majority of the crew is gathered on the deck. A net full of...something--it's too covered in bilge and sea filth to really make it out--struggles against the ropes.

A collective murmur rings out through the crew, and Solara's jaw ticks. But that's before she sees it.

Or--sees her.

"What in God's good name," Solara says, hand flying to her sword, "is that?"

Tuffy bounds over to her side, excited. "Dunno, Cap'n, but it certainly ain't God."

"Tuffy."

"Yes, Captain?"

"Shut up."

"Yes, Captain."

"It's got scales," Lieutenant Lei observes, eyes wide in wonder. "Looks like a lass, though?"

Solara makes her way through the crowd. She crouches down, peering through the net, and sure enough, the creature stares back at her with eerie human eyes. It gives a small flail, a pathetic aborted motion like a fish caught above water.

"It talk?" Solara asks, still observing the thing. It was shrouded in gold--gold scales, gold collar.

"Yes, Cap'n," Tuffy supplies, dutiful. She hesitates, clearing her throat. "Says her, uh...says her name is Aurelie."

The creature--Aurelie--stares back at her, eyes narrow and alight with something like...defiance. Solara snorts, drawing her sword. She gives a lopsided smile as the creature flinches at the sight of it.

"Get 'er some clothes, Tuff," Solara says. She tilts her head. "Sit her down in me cabin. I wanna hear this thing squeal."

I will forever wish he were you.

(*Writing this just to get an enough amount of words to post :))

return home to me, the blood pooling under your doorway.

the wounded animal. knife in chest.

collect me, seashell bones. the white clatter. the black sea of night.

you took my body down, so finish what you’ve started. honor the parts of my body

still trying to sing. i am fine here in your arms,

the arms that cry death,

so as long as i will see the stars again. scatter me

and tell the lights to remember. tell the world to turn for me.

tell the universe it is my grave.

the night sky always listened

to you. you always knew

what to say.

...but I had to make some bad jokes for the occasion.

...

Being first is not always the best. I mean, can you imagine having as many impeachments as you do ex wives? And just like the ex-wives once did, the majority of the country is longing for a divorce.

Hey, at least we figured it out faster than they did! (Hey, we don't get those hefty divorce stimulus checks?)

Ivana commented to People magazine on the presidential loss, saying, "I just want this whole thing to be over." Later, reporters debated whether or not that was the first time she's made that sort of remark about her ex-husband.

On January 16, 2020, U.S. president Donald J. Trump was impeached for the first time, for abuse of power and obstruction of justice. However, Trump continues to prove that one of anything is never enough for him. On January 13th of this year, just three days until the one year anniversary of his first...it happened again. This time it was as consequence to Trump egging on the domestic terrorists at the Capitol the week prior. His remarks, reminiscent of an over enthusiastic soccer parent's, told rioters that he loved them, and they were very special. The definition of "special" in this statement was never clarified, but it smelled like snowflakes, shiny pickup truck exhaust, and that one CVS in your area where nobody wears a mask.

I wonder if Melania's jealous--after all, that's one heck of a vow renewal.

I wonder if the kids are jealous--after all, their dad didn't care nearly as much during their custody battles!