March 2024

Nikolay Gumilyov, Warrior Poet (1886-1921)

by Myrna Martin

Nikolay, Nikolay…
Warrior Poet in my mind…
Married, Father, Soldier…
Fought in WW1…
Was enamored of Africa, and visited many times…
He joined the Elite Calvary, and fought battles…
In East Prussia, and Macedonia too…
Was awarded St. George’s Cross, not once…
But twice, bravery at it’s best…
As he fought for them and you…
He was wrongfully arrested…
The Cheka Secret Soviet Police did take him…
His wonderful thoughts silenced…
His light, they did extinguish…
This warrior poet, Nikolay…
Was quieted in the forest…
As his friend rushed to save him…
Order of freedom in his hand…
Too late, too late…
As the shot was fired…
Nikolay, did no longer stand…

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Amanda’s Anxiety

By Aden Chua
I woke up from my restless night in the so-called bedroom of my new foster home that I’m stuck with until I get my life back. It had been months since my life fell into a slimy pit since my sweet parents were taken away from me. My father died in a bomb-blast when he was in the army, and my mother became so drunk, she became locked up in special care. It was my 13th birthday, and I was forced to spend it all alone with a couple of strangers. I still have the key to Mom’s lily garden where we used to spend our pleasant mornings all the time together. It is the only piece I have left of my old happy life. I prayed hard with it grasped in my hand in high hopes to return to it someday.
When I came down for breakfast, I caught the same strong whiff of diffused lavender I smell every morning. I sulked past the living room that was packed with leaf-printed furniture and entered the dining room next to the kitchen filled with plants all around the counter. There, my foster parents, Jace and Joy Lighthart, awaited me with their usual perky attitude and their bright smiles trying to contaminate my face. Jace still wore the same white color from his collection while Joy still wore the same various flower-printed dress from her collection.
“Hey. Happy birthday, Mandy!” Joy exclaimed.
“Amanda,” I corrected her as I sunk my teeth into the egg sandwich they made for me.
Jace looked at me with slight concern. “Are you okay?” he asked. “You don’t seem very happy on your birthday.”
“I’m fine.” I fibbed.
Jace and Joy looked at each other discerningly. I could tell that they’d reached their limit with my anxious attitude, even though they were too polite to show it.
“Now Amanda,” Jace said as he retracted his smile, “Joy and I have been talking, and I think for your birthday we should all go on a family picnic together at Letchworth Park. What do you say to that?”
“Why Letchworth Park?” I replied.
“Well,” Joy replied, “We couldn’t help but notice how anxious and depressed you’ve been since you’ve been here, and we thought a nice picnic trip to Letchworth might help lighten you up. Letchworth is the place where we met with our families, and it helped overcome our anxieties.”
I highly doubted my anxiety would be cured from this place, but I had nothing better to do on my birthday, so I went with their idea.
And so, we packed and gathered in their rainbow Beetle and took a long drive to Letchworth Park. When we got there, the place looked more exotic than I imagined. I saw big green landscapes on every corner, with tall trees surrounding the area. In the distance, I saw huge mountains near a tall waterfall. I could smell the freshwater from the falls and feel the breezy mist all around my cheeks.
“You see that waterfall?” Jace asked. “My father told me every tourist that visits this place gathers near it so that they can feel more at peace. They let the sound of the rapid waters drown out the noise of the problems in their heads.”
Once I thought about it, hearing the soothing waves from the waterfall did seem to have a calming effect on me, calmer than I’d been since I lost my parents.
“I wish I could live near the falls,” I said.
“You don’t have to,” Jace explained, “The falls itself isn’t exactly what brings this town peace; it simply reminds us that peace is inside us. All we must do is picture our own kind of peace.”
I never thought Jace’s words could have such deep meaning.
While I kept Jace’s waterfall message in mind, I decided to help Joy set up the picnic table. Just then, I noticed her wandering in an orchard with a fruit basket, all joyfully perky as usual. More interestingly, I noticed that, for some reason, she is even more perky when she’s picking fruit. I decided to go over it and ask her what the deal is.
“Well,” Joy explained, “I always loved picking fruit because they’re my favorite thing about life. To me, fruit is like an enrichment of happiness. It is grown out of love and patience, and the more of each is given to them, the sweeter they are. There’s fruit everywhere if you look hard enough; this is one of the places that has the sweetest fruit.”
She then gave me one of the apples she picked. When I took a bite, I realized just how right Joy was; the skin was so tender, and the sugary white flesh inside melted in my mouth.
“Mm,” I said, “you’re right, this fruit does have a tasty sensation of happiness. Maybe I could find more fruit like this to give myself more happiness.”
“Happiness is always inside you, Amanda,” she replied. “You just need to grow it by giving yourself love and patience.”
So far, this picnic trip has turned out to be better than I imagined. I felt my anxiety melting away as I soaked in Joy’s message of happiness from the fruit and Jace’s message of peace from the waterfall. So, I decided to put my anxious thoughts about the life I lost away and live the life I am in right now with Jace and Joy and all they’ve taught me about how to bring light back into my heart.
At the picnic table we chatted for a while until Jace had good news to share with me:
“I just got a call from your mom,” he said, “Her treatments have gotten her back on track and she said that, in a few days, it’ll be safe for you to start living with her again.”
This message rocked all over my body with exhilaration. I couldn’t wait to start living with her and her lily garden again. But then, I realized that made my smile fade to a frown. Jace and Joy couldn’t help but notice.
“What’s the matter, Amanda?” Jace asked. “I thought you’d be happy to see your mom again.”
“I am,” I replied, “but if I go back home, that means I’ll be leaving Letchworth Park and all its glories behind. Plus, I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again.”
“Aw,” Joy replied with a hand on her heart, “I’m sure you’ll come back to us and Letchworth someday.”
“But this place cured my anxiety. What if my anxiety comes back when I go away from this place?”
“Remember what we taught you,” Jace explained. “This place is not what cured your anxiety. You did when you started focusing on the peace and the happiness that this place provided. You can find it anywhere.”
Joy then pulled out a birthday present wrapped in floral printed wrapping paper and a white ribbon.
“In fact,” she said, “we thought you’d like this place, so we ordered this for you.”
I ripped open the wrapping paper and unfolded a big quilt with a beautiful picture. It showed the waterfall on the left side with a peace sign in the center, and on the right side, it showed the orchard with all the fruit trees and a giant pink heart in the center. The sight of it made my anxiety melt away yet again as tears of joy soaked from my eyes. I put the quilt in my bag right beside the key to Mom’s lily garden.
“Thank you for everything” I said to Jace and Joy.
I then gave them a nice embrace. It’s sad to leave them, but the joy of seeing my mother and her garden again intertwines.
THE END