by PEYTON

The year was 2980. Hairballs flew across the streets of Seoul, South Korea as the ground was littered with the bodies of dead kittens. The American 73rd regime holding their ground below the World War 20 Veterans kitten memorial statue, tasked with the duty to destroy all anti-aircraft systems in the area, carefully planned their next move. It was now World War A. After World War 26 and the fall of the Russian government war was declared, hence the beginning of World War A.

Captain Mittens, leader of the 73rd regime knew what he was leading his men into. He knew they may not be heading back home. They neared the last AA system only half of the squad left. Pizza being shot shot into the sky as planes began to fall made it nearly impossible to hear anything. Using this to their advantage, they readied their MLB’s loaded with high velocity fur balls and took cover 15 feet back.

Whiskers, Mittens second-in-command began setting up in the building two blocks from the metal AA system with two other cats, Dragunov semi-automatic sniper rifles with 50 caliber fur balls at the ready.

“Kick off the fight when ready Whiskers,” Mittens yelled over the radio. As the first ball was shot down one of the kittens, four balls of yarn were thrown into the pit dispersing catnip everywhere, stopping all of the cats in their path. The squad quickly ran in placing the high-powered charges. Then, they ran out and removed their gas masks.

Clearing the are mittens pulled the charge detonating a one block radius and filling it with yarn. Whiskers confirmed the detonation back to home base. The skies soon were filled with the roaring of jets and the Korean forces began to evacuate the city.

“With this victory comes a push farther into Korea,” Whiskers said over the radio. While this may be true, it was obvious that the war far from over…

by VICTORIA

Every day I hear things that rub me wrong and when I’m destined to stand up and say something I have to remember to stay strong. Life is a challenge that is pushing to make me fall, and sometimes it does because I stomach it all.

When I hear cultural discrimination I see it leading the nation, the wrong way, and its sad that people including myself brush off what others say.

The comments I hear are like a stab in the back, so many comments the stabs look like they came in a pack.

Why can’t I leave it alone, is it because I take it too much and I’m tired of looking like stone.

by VICTORIA

When I was little I had a cat named Tony. He always ate well when he was with me he did and when Tony didn’t want to eat I’d put him in the microwave well I’d try to. When Tony wanted to play he came to me, well I made him. Tony ran away after like the fifth time I tried to put him in the microwave and turn him into pizza. Tony was tan like the crust and his paws were red like pepperonis so was his eyes from no sleep, but that was Tony. He liked playing with me well not so much. Tony was jaded and I was vexed the way Tony looked like pizza & I was thinking Tony need some heat so what the heck. After Tony ran away and came back I thought he like the way I treated him so I kept doing it until Tony acted weird one way after no sleep. Being in the freezer, going in the microwave, forced fed, getting kicked off the porch & finally running away he died. After he passed I didn’t eat pizza because the way it looked, smelled, how people held it reminded me about Tony.

by NIAYA

Eat, sleep, repeat.
Eat, sleep, repeat.
Eat, sleep, repeat.

That’s all I’ve ever done!

I wake up and my human makes me food. I eat, then I sleep. Over & over & over again.

I wear a sparkly collar with a name tag saying “Mrs. Mittens” and a little soft bed that has my name on it again. And on the human’s license plate, and also a bumper sticker saying “I heart cats,” or “I love Mrs. Mittens.”

Eat, sleep, repeat.
Eat, sleep, repeat.
Eat, sleep, repeat.

I am the center of my human’s attention. This is basically heaven. I see most filthy, barbaric, underprivileged cats outside the building always begging me to come inside and eat, sleep, repeat. They want me to take a job, NO! I am the queen. The center of attention. Her adorable, perfect Mrs. Mittens.

Until…he! arrived. That flea bag of a K-9, that over energetic, slobbery, playful dog they called Blu Cinnamon. His dirty, brown coat is nothing compared to my elegant, soft, fuzzy one.

My time to eat, sleep, repeat has now turned into SHARE eat and SHARE sleep!

Fighting doesn’t help! He thinks I’m “playing.” Just to get him away from me I have to throw a yellow ball faaaar away from me, but even then he still comes back.

Once the human and the filthy thing were going out for pizza, so I decided to tear up the couch and the bed! Ha! Ha! I am the queen! I am the center of attention. Eat, sleep, repeat. My job! Me! The “I love cats” changed to “Puppy lover.” Eat, sleep, repeat. No! Not anymore. Now it’s be annoyed, play and scream!

by QUINCY

in the world I see everything
is changing like gun war
in the park where kids play—
kids dying just being on the streets,
playing ball & black folks
going to jail for walking down the street…

the same streets
I know used to be safe
where kids could play outside
without getting shot.

by MESGANA

2016 has been rough—
too tough to deal with the pain
when all you gain are lives,
lives full of resentment,
because it didn’t plan the way you wanted.
So you’re left distraught
leading and following your heart,
that same heart who told you so,
the one you didn’t follow.
You’re left diminished,
destructing someone’s sympathy.
I see the casket, knowing the one
who wanted you to change.

Change isn’t in your mind.

I’m hurt, she’s too, but the victims…
I salute you.
Time’s up.
Albany, R.C., and Diane.
I feel as though you wouldn’t know how to deal,
but these tarnished and broken pieces can’t be fixed.
If only there was a quick solution for leaving the absent.

The absence is not that thriving so if you can hear me…
The presence is what I’m asking for,
not the absence of life.

So hear me loud and clear.
Give me more time to hear the wounded—

only if they knew, they wouldn’t.

by ZION

Breaking news delivered to you by The Scratching Post.  A clash between two gangs has resulted in at least five casualties on Lion Street. The two gangs in question are named, “The Tenth Life” and “The Dogslayers”. It is believed that the gunfight started when a group of Dogslayer members walked into The Mousetrap. The Mousetrap is a restaurant that mainly serves pizza and is notorious for the influence that The Tenth Life has in the area. Various witnesses claimed that The Dogslayers shot first after they recognized the rival gang members. About five minutes after the end of the shooting, police dogs arrived at the scene. The restaurant was void of living beings by the time they arrived. Luckily, it is believed that no civilians were killed in the crossfire.

by ELEXIS

Breathe in, breathe out. Just calm down. Check the time. Only a few minutes. Just calm down. I need to pace but don’t let anyone see you, just stay calm. Be cool, relax. Sit up and smile at someone. Are they smiling back at me or am I being weird? Just calm down. Check the time. It’s been a minute. Just calm down. I’m jumpy. This is not okay. Breathe in. Breathe out. Just stay calm.

by ZION

I have an essay due soon.
Five pages in five point font due in five days,
but my grade is already a hundred. Does it matter?
What’s the point? Does it really matter?
I’ll finish it tomorrow. It doesn’t really matter.

by SCOTT

mental equilibrium
holy redemption
politically and socially knowledgable
aesthetically inclined
movement activist