Ria's Book Blog

The Girl by Ria Dawar

I. The Chosen One
The teenage heroine’s wind-whipped
blond hair paints a striking picture
as she’s poised to save the world.
Her white skin glistens
under the sunlight as her
two equally attractive love interests
vie for her attention.
She’s different from all the other girls, though.
She doesn’t like makeup
or dresses, she’d much rather go hiking,
or horse riding, or something else tomboy-ish.
There’s nothing special about her,
except the unique superpowers that
she discovers in her coming of age.
Her parents died in a mysterious car crash
when she was young, or just conveniently
are never around. She’s the only one
who can save the world.
The chosen one.

II. The Authentic One
A girl sits quietly
She actually does like to read,
even at times when it’s not convenient
for the plot. She’s not quiet
all the time--not the shy and docile
girl you’re imagining. She loves to tell
stories and doesn’t like to stress
about her future. There might be a boy
or two--but no epic love story;
it’ll just be casual. She’s not a
straight-A student or some kind of
chess prodigy. The weight of the
world doesn’t lie on her shoulders
--and even if it did, she probably
wouldn’t have the courage or
resourcefulness to bear it.
Fortunately, no far-fetched dystopian
scenario will ensnare her in an enchanted
world. She realizes that you don’t
have to be chosen to impact
the world and you don’t
have to save the world to
be a hero. Sometimes, just being
normal, is enough.

Imagination by Justin Dong

I. Legend
Chemistry solutions just
Flow through his fingertips
Elegantly symmetric graphs
The shape of butterfly wings
Decorate the screen of his calculator
He puts pen to paper
And lets his mind dream
As formulas and Greek letters
Fall into place in just the right way
Aesthetics is his muse.

II. Negative
I wade through a mess
Of too many variables
And unsolved equations
I mash the keys of my TI-83
For ten minutes
Only to forget the minus sign
I sit before a blank screen
With writer’s block
But nothing comes to mind.