HOME | Onomatopoeia 2020-21

Cityscape

Jenevieve Marquardt

"What Is Utopia?"

Linh Giakonoski

For years, writers have tried to define a Utopia in their stories. The ideal society where peace reigns and war doesn’t exist. Where all is good and there’s nothing to worry about.

Of course, it’s much easier to write a Dystopia. To tear away the optimistic veneer presented. Reveal how, in reality, darkness lurks everywhere. The dream of a Utopia is nothing but a fleeting idea. The curse of Dystopia, on the other hand, is baked into reality. Front and center, no matter where you turn.

However, when you read stories on the deconstruction of Utopia, you realize where the fault is. Despite stories positing that the society lived in is a Utopia, they were fundamentally the same as a Dystopia. They were stagnant, unchanging, frozen in time. There’s no room to step out of line, no room for dissent. That idea of Utopia requires the sacrifice of individuality, making it no better than their outright Dystopian counterparts.

If Utopia is the opposite of Dystopia, then Utopia must be change. It must be progress. It must be dissent, debate, and compassion. Built on the idea of truth and kindness, facts and peace. To bring justice and mercy to a world where it, otherwise, wouldn’t exist.

Utopia is chasing the sky into the ocean, running after a rainbow, sprinting towards the sun. It’s unceasing, unrelenting progress. Utopia can’t be reached by stalling or taking the world into the past. As the wheel of time turns, we must keep up with it, or risk falling behind.

If we can bring everyone up to speed with each other, if we can educate and support everyone in the world, then perhaps we can achieve that impossible Utopia. If we can get the ball rolling, then perhaps we can find stability in the constant progress of the world.

"The Scales Say You Are Guilty"

Edith Avilés-Fitzpatrick

Rolling over

Six feet under a buried casket

The tombstone says, Beware.

(For I lie here

And I will not be held.)

Dirt tastes clean

But the grains settle in my unsatisfied mouth

The earth brings a thirst I cannot quench

For everything is damp, but there is no water down here.

And if there was, I would not drink

For the lies I gave breath to, gave life to,

They must now sate my desire, my thirst

They won’t be; they must be enough

For my tongue.

I cannot drink from the same goblet that sustains the life I took

I broke one rule; another would kill me;

And no matter what I deserve or say,

I do not want to die.

I’ve never craved death--

Indeed, I fear it.

But I must’ve had some hunger in me

That needed to be fed.

A beautiful flame;

I had to have it,

Hold it in my hands--

My palms stung.

I have no fingerprints left

To be my own person,

Instead I am everyone

Everything stripped

To its most basic loves.

"A Journey Through Music"

Chloe Dang

Music brings people together, but what brings music together?

Ever since I was in Kindergarten, I remember my first piano lesson. I remembered thinking, my fingers are so small, and the music is so big, I will never be able to grasp it all.

But one day I did. One day I was able to read music, and play the music! I could feel the magic of the music coursing through me, pooling onto the piano. That day was actually 5 years later…

Ding, Dong! Rang the sound as I pressed the snow white doorbell to my piano teacher’s house, and I felt a fresh brush of remembrance as it all came back to me.

It was now the beginning of January, yet the feeling of Spring was pulling everyone away from Winter, since Winter Break was over. I hadn’t gone to piano practice in 2 weeks, but I was refreshed and ready for more learning.

As the winter wind blew around me, it painted memories of snow and fun, as I reflected back on 2018. I remembered being at last year’s concert, but it was only a memory when I thought about the upcoming recital, the Spring Recital. I was overly prepared and exhilarated like a mouse eating its first cheese, and I had researched what song I had wanted to play. This time, I put my heart into my choice of music for the Spring Recital, even if I had to concentrate on the first trace of what had given me the kindle to start the fire for piano.

What had brought me to piano in the beginning was when I watched (for the first time) Charlie Brown, when I was in Kindergarten. I enjoyed listening to the music the most, and I wished like a kid wanting school to end that I would be able to play it. My Mom and Dad googled (Hey, I guess everyone uses Google these days) what instrument can play the Charlie Brown theme song, and Boom! They found a group of piano players called the Piano Guys, and they played Charlie Brown like there was no tomorrow.

I thought, If they can play it, I should be able to piece it together like pie, right?

(I was 6, okay? Don’t judge me, as this comment is directed to the judgy people reading this right now)

Guess what? In another, Boom! Of an instant, I got piano lessons for my birthday! After year after year of concerts, effort, and more, I find myself here, and I know that this time, this very year, that I was ready.

Ready to take on the challenge of the Charlie Brown theme song.

(I sound so serious!)

A soft Click! From the door unlocking reminded me where I was, and as my piano teacher, Mrs. Fion, swung the door open, I removed my shoes and put them in a neat and organized fashion next to the wall. My sister, Ella, placed her shoes on the ground in a not organized fashion in any way, shape or form, so I picked them up and placed them gingerly next to mine.

“Zori! How was your Winter Break?” Mrs. Fion asked in a polite and fun manner, which I loved about her. She was gentle and was filled over-the-top with kindness, and I couldn’t wait to start on my song.

“I gotta say, pretty good!” I said, giving her a warm smile to melt away all of the cold from Winter.

We began to have “small talk” as we settled in at her house, and Ella got out her music and Mrs. Fion began teaching her.

My sister, Ella, began learning her piece that she wanted to play. She was going to play the Infinity War theme song, and she soon learned that it is more difficult than she imagined.

Unfortunately, when it was my turn, “piecing it together like pie” was not in store for me. The music looked incredibly difficult on about 20 different levels, that if someone did a brain scan on my mental state, it would be very, well… sad.

After my little session on piano, it was actually a couple of weeks until I actually could play it. My fingers were so overworked, that if someone lightly touched them, I guarantee they would have fallen right off, like a leaf in the wind.

When I was starting to bring out the fire in the kindle of Charlie Brown, I found myself attracting the attention of my parents and my sister. That fueled my engine to continue practicing. One of my first audiences was with my friend, Sonia Songlington.

No, she does not sing, if you are wondering when you look at her last name.

It was one of those “days” close to Spring Break, and I wanted to have my first sleepover. I went over to Sonia’s house, and we did what normal kids do on a sleepover. You must be thinking, “Wow! What a surprise! You’re normal?” Gee, thanks people, yes, I am a normal human being.

Anyway, I was hanging out (or whatever you call it) with Sonia, and she had a piano. Old, yes, but it could still work. On that day, I had brought my music to show her, and it was no harm (unless you think my music is loud and then your ears would hurt) to just chill and play piano.

I let the music take me over the rainbow, and as it carried me adrift, and I just knew how to play it. I don’t think it was my fingers, or me, but the music had completely taken over my whole self. The river of music flooded from my mind, and, most importantly, my heart.

The same thing came over to possess (in a good way, don’t think of it like a ghost you horror people) Sonia, and her parents. I felt refreshed, and I knew I was ready for the performance.

Let's do this.

The sun had set and the world was quiet. The only a soft sound could be heard. It was music.

This was it! It was finally the Spring Recital!

The one I had been waiting for one, um, two… Okay people, I don’t have an IQ of, like, 1,000, so just know that I have been waiting for a long time.

I walked in, gripping my sheet music, Charlie Brown, tightly, and my sister bounced with excitement right next to me. I could see joy mapped out onto her face as we sat down and let the recital begin.

I looked at the music for Charlie Brown, and counted the pages.

“One, Two…” I started. Suddenly, an overwhelming burst of worry spread through my body. “Aaaaah! Where’s page three?!?”

“Whoa oh! I’m sure the first two pages are nice!” sympathized Ella, but it wasn’t enough.

“I didn’t memorize it!” I snapped, and Ella shrank back.

I frantically searched around us, but to no avail. I wanted to scream into the sink at my house until this memory was thoroughly washed from my mind. Unfortunately, there was no bathrooms to do so, and now I just had to go through the concert.

I let her barricade of excitement and happiness shatter like glass. I tried to gather up the pieces, but they slipped like butter in my hands, and crumbled like bread crumbs. I scooped up the remaining bits of hope, clinging on to it like two magnets with glue, but a wave of water washed it all away.

“All my effort, washed away.” I thought I felt my mind drifting away.

“You’ll do fine, Zori, completely fine!” I argued with myself, as Ella gave a strange look in my direction.

Then the concert started.

The names on the pamphlet who were finished with playing turned to ten, which soon turned to nine, to eight, to seven, to six, five, four, three, two, and finally, one. I got my 2 pages of Charlie Brown and walked up to the piano. I had been waiting for this moment. The moment I would play Charlie Brown. I completely forgot about not having the 3rd page as I put my hands on the piano and began playing. The music flowed through me. All the worries washed away, and the sediments of happiness that came from other people built up to create a canyon, a great Grand Canyon of happiness!

As I finished through the first page, I could feel the amazement of the audience, and that gave me a potion of strength. The end of the second page began to near, and sudden waves of panic crashed through me. For some unknown reason, I kept my cool. As I finished the last measure on the second page, I could still feel the pull of the magic.

Memories that weren’t mine flooded through, and I wasn’t playing anymore, but my fingers were still moving. I could feel what the composer felt during the time, and I somehow knew how to play. Memories of me playing the song came over me, and I was truly okay.

When the craziness ended, I felt quite overjoyed. I still had no idea what had happened, until it hit me, smack in the face.

Music brings people together, but what brings music together?

I think I know the answer now.

People.

Piano players.

Passion.

Hard work.

And most importantly, having an IQ over 10,000.

Do you believe me? I hope not, because the actual answer is

Love.

Love of my parents, love of the people. Love of families, love of music.