Carmen Sandiego Reacts to the Travel Ban by Mehrnoosh Torbatnejad

BY MEHRNOOSH TORBATNEJAD

Carmen Sandiego Reacts to the Travel Ban

No different than how she has always traveled,
knows to make a human less human

you call them by a thing that doesn't exist, so
she’s never in a space long enough to be deemed alien;

makes a game from the escape—
the elegant taunting of claiming your city her name

though elsewhere she was born; a turf intruder
with no passport, why apply for one if possession

only calcifies borders, if papers are the breadcrumb
trail always to capture; so instead she enters with the tip

of her color shadow, loots your country of everything
she doesn’t need; see, this is not about thievery,

this is the joy of reclaiming, the thrill of ripping smiles
from paintings, pocketing the heat from flames,

keys and music notes, what good is a native’s job
when you can take the recipes and controls;

you would think she, like the rest, was a holy grail,
the way patrollers lust after her with handcuffs and rope

when she retreats, off to Afghanistan or Iran, Mexico
and Morocco; tell me which one of you would even

reach for a map if it weren’t to chase her,
which one of you would mark a globe if not for the names

of do-not-fly lists; she knew long ago the rights
you inscribed do not include her, that immunity

is a delusion, so she alters her tone when you tap
her telephones, and gloats elusive when she doesn’t sound

metal detectors; so, call her villain, call her enemy
when this body is the one you cannot occupy;

call her criminal, call her spy, call her mastermind
when she outwits your agencies, and know

we are willing to forgive her felonies, knowing
what you call illegal is the act of fleeing an oppressor,

knowing what you call most wanted
is a pseudonym for unwanted;

so, a runaway sneering at despots for hobby
is the reprisal the rest of us have waited for,

so we marvel at the abduction of headwaters,
let her take the rivers, the ceilings and columns,

let her steal everything beneath the wide brim
of what was taken and renamed;

we pardon her; we know what it’s like
to hide but leave a trickling trace of what’s been sown,

we know the blood that she bleeds, she makes sure
to wear visible neck to toe like a trench coat

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Mehrnoosh Torbatnejad was born and raised in New York. Her poetry has appeared in The Missing Slate, Passages North, HEArt Journal Online, Pinch Journal, and is forthcoming in Painted Bride Quarterly. She is the poetry editor for Noble / Gas Qtrly, and a Best of the Net, Pushchart Prize, and Best New Poets nominee. She currently lives in New York where she practices matrimonial law.

Poetry by Valorie K. Ruiz

BY VALORIE K. RUIZ

Tracing the Path of the Moon

An owl’s wingspan can stretch up to five feet.
When I see the streak of tierra
over the park across the street
at just past midnight
I don’t question it.

But as the minutes
slide into grains of sand
and the cigarette caves to ash
I begin to wonder.
Maybe I’m reading too much
in the shadows between the trees
maybe age is stealing sight from my eyes
maybe it’s all tricks played by amber lights.

The cigarette tames me, keeping me outdoors long
enough for the shadow to return.
A five-foot-wide paint stroke along the sky
traces circles over my head.

When I hear the final hoot as the owl
dances beneath a hidden moon
I laugh.
There’s no need to question.
This message clear as the constellations I craft stories for.
All of these obsidian glimpsed futures are waiting
for nothing more than the illusion of time to bring them full circle.

Fluorescence

Your eyelids flicker and I watch you lift, drift
on a sea carved by the corners of your mind.

The hum of your breath buzzes into a lantern,
a lit firefly flashing it’s gleam

against your parted smile. These new moon nights
I’m tempted to trap the floating radiance

in a jar carved from lightning by pixie hands. I think,
perhaps I could drape it around my neck, wear your fire

as a beam to navigate my way across thunderclap waves:
a storm raging nowhere but the waters

of my own mind. Instead I’m locked in the charm of its hover.
I’d much rather trace the spirals of your floating Sun.

Watch the firefly that needs no external light.


Remedy for Codepency

/the first time i orgasmed/ with you my stained glass eyes shattered/ beneath your sol-bright gaze/ breaking me into a puddle/ of mosaic geometrics unable to be puzzle-pieced/ back into the mural i resiliently crafted/ i spilled honey/ luring the residents of the anthill beyond the swell of your home/ begging the Mother Queen with her millions of eggs/ to gift me her unborn/ swallowing their potential/ anendorfic treatment to remove this lovesickness/ this oxytocin bond/ sometimes too much/

Primitive Wings

The dragonfly enters my room
Glass wings prism moonlight
Across my eyes and I’m shifting between
Recognition and the unknown of his flutter

The dragonfly whispers orders to remain still
He is the snake doctor who’ll stitch together
My endings to each new beginning
I am a rag muñeca waiting to be quilted together

The dragonfly is holed away in my mind
Lodged in the corners where he breathes
Fires to keep himself warm
Where he lives still—
Flapping memories into blank pages

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Valorie K. Ruiz is a Xicana writer fascinated by language and the magic it evokes. She currently

lives in San Diego, and she is assistant flash fiction editor for Homology Lit.

Poetry by Kyle Lopez

Holiday Dinner after Abuelo

Tio VJ decrees two maduros per person.
Lisa cracks where do you think we are, Cuba?

Mom and I can’t remember when or why
she first nicknamed me Wuemba, or Wuembalele.

We poll opinion till VJ suggests Mayellé was the source.
Everyone laughs but Mayellé,

the Black doll clad in blue and white tartan
seated in a rocking chair one room away.

Inside her lives a spirit that’s protected Mom since birth.
Before her stands a water glass offering.

Abuela reminds us of her nephew
Fernando, my fruity forefather,

who arrived in America with her in the 50s.
His parents took him to a doctor

to fix him with hormone shots.
They never accepted it.

These days all talks wind toward Santería.
We cousins, Henry, Michael, Ashley,

Calvin, Kyle, Zayjay, Vivi, Alexa,
mostly listen.

Having spoken to a santera, Mom insists
her father’s spirit remains stuck

between earth and heaven.
Tia Mari says another santera believes he’s in heaven.

~
Wuemba: wem-bah
Wuembalele: wem-bah-leh-leh
Mayellé: mah-yeh-YEH

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Kyle Lopez is a Black, Cuban-American poet who lives in New York. He is a TuCuba Fellow with the CubaOne Foundation and an MFA candidate in poetry at New York University, where he is also a Goldwater Fellow. Kyle serves as Poetry Editor of EFNIKS, a media space for queer and trans people of color. Recent poems appear in The Florida Review, The Boiler, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, Cosmonauts Avenue, Capital Pride DC, and elsewhere. Find him on Twitter and Instagram @kylelop3z.

YOU CAN DONATE TO KYLE LOPEZ DIRECTLY HERE.

This Friendly Depression Workbook Provides Support & Actionable Steps

BY LISA MARIE BASILE

As World Mental Health Day trends across social media, I’ve felt both sorrowful and appreciative. On one hand, it’s hard to see just how many people suffer with various forms of mental illness. On the other, I know intimately how damaging it can be to shame and silence those who suffer, and I’m glad we’re changing that. That suffering can be passed down, internalized, neglected. It rots away at us, our families, our communities, and our cultures.

It seems we will always battle with mental illness, whether it’s chemical or triggered by one’s experiences, or both—but there are options. From medication to mindfulness, from simply speaking as a way to release the albatross, to learning to work with your own triggers and cycles (I think of it as intuiting when the sea is coming to flood shore), everyone will explore different approaches, unique to their needs.

And if we are always fighting against the illness, the least we can do is create an judgment-free and compassionate environment for one another.

I recently received The 10-Step Depression Relief Workbook: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Approach, written by Simon Rego, Psy. D. and Sarah Fader, my friend and also the creator of Stigma Fighters. The book creates that environment.

I was so glad to have received it as well, as I’ve always lived with a lingering anxiety and depression. My mental health challenges are deeply tied to life changes and times of powerlessness, rooted in my past: As a kid, both of my parents suffered with addiction, and we lived in homeless shelters and then we went into foster care. I’ve come to recognize what may set my depression and anxiety off (moving home or job, being thrown for a loop, not feeling cared for or supported), and living with these issues is like walking on a tight rope. I’ve come to force myself to understand that it’s all a balancing act, and that that’s just the truth. That said, I’m grateful to have been able to manage my symptoms.

When I received this book, I was in the middle of a move. Perfect, right? I hadn’t fallen into the depths, but I was feeling it. That undercurrent, its surging, its quiet little hum. And so, I turned to the workbook, which I appreciated very much because of its kindness and its approach.

First off, the book starts off with an intro that makes it clear that depression is a real illness—not just a bit of melancholy that sometimes makes us feel blue. It also notes the very real risks of depression—including the physical. Because chronic depression can lead to heart attacks, diabetes and stroke—all of which have been verified by science.

Next, it discusses the barriers to treatment that many people and countries face—limited access to therapy, medical treatments, or a lack of trained healthcare providers. (Just take a look at this study around the prevalence of Brazilians living without depression treatment). For this reason, the workbook uses a cognitive behavioral therapy step-by-step approach, which can help find a workaround to some of those barriers. It specifically mentions that it may be best suited for those with mild depression or people who are hesitant about medical treatment.

Written in a friendly and clear voice, it helps the reader first get honest with themselves: What is depression, what are the symptoms? What are your symptoms? It also offers some glimpses of Sarah's own experiences—and asks the reader to share theirs. This feels very much like a loving conversation rooted in both gentleness and serious action.

It then moves to discussing the therapeutic process—and CBT, which offers action items for managing depression. CBT, defined, means, "Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that treats problems and boosts happiness by modifying dysfunctional emotions, behaviors, and thoughts. Unlike traditional Freudianpsychoanalysis, which probes childhood wounds to get at the root causes of conflict, CBT focuses on solutions, encouraging patients to challenge distorted cognitions and change destructive patterns of behavior."

The book goes on to discuss other therapies as well, just so you know the differences—which I appreciated. Following chapters include recognizing and workshopping problem areas (like replacing negative thoughts, and enhancing objective thoughts), making a plan for yourself, learning to not procrastinate when it comes to tasks and self-care, and learning to develop lifestyle skills and finding gratitude.

What I like most about the book is that it very much sounds like a kind and objective friend who wants you to help yourself and be happy, in whatever small step feels right for you. Its focus on both the short-term (immediate behaviors) and the long-term (learning mindfulness and maintaining wellness, even when not depressed), is important. The fact that is acts as both a triage and a holistic coach is so key, I think. This helps the reader get some relief while thinking about the bigger picture.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to peer inward, discover healthful and pragmatic tools to manage depression and create a step-by-step approach to taking action.

I also recommend checking out CEO Sarah Fader's Stigma Fighters, which is a mental health non-profit organization (founded in 2014) dedicated to helping real people living with mental illness.

As the site says, "There are teachers, doctors, lawyers, psychologists, actors, writers all living with mental illness. These are the stories that need to be told; the people who seem to be “regular” or “normal” people but are actually hiding a big secret. They are living with an invisible illness. They are struggling to function like the rest of society. It is Stigma Fighters’ mission to raise awareness for people who are seemingly “normal” but actually fighting hard to survive. If you are living with mental illness and you want to share your story, please fill in the form HERE. We look forward to fighting the stigma of mental illness one story at a time."

i hope that whatever your path, and whatever pain you're feeling, you take the time to care for yourself. You deserve it.

SUICIDE HOTLINE
1-800-273-8255

Click here if you have difficult hearing and need help.

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Lisa Marie Basile is the founding creative director of Luna Luna Magazine--a digital diary of literature, magical living and idea. She is the author of "Light Magic for Dark Times," a modern grimoire of inspired rituals and daily practices. She's also the author of a few poetry collections, including the forthcoming "Nympholepsy." Her work encounters the intersection of ritual and wellness, chronic illness, magic, overcoming trauma, and creativity, and she has written for The New York Times, Narratively, Grimoire Magazine, Sabat Magazine, The Establishment, Refinery 29, Bust, Hello Giggles, and more. Lisa Marie earned a Masters degree in Writing from The New School and studied literature and psychology as an undergraduate at Pace University

Sarah Fader is the CEO and Founder of Eliezer Tristan Publishing Company, where she is dedicated to sharing the words of authors who endure and survive trauma and mental illness. She is also the CEO and Founder of Stigma Fighters, a non-profit organization that encourages individuals with mental illness to share their personal stories. She has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Quartz, Psychology Today, The Huffington Post, HuffPost Live, and Good Day New York.

Dr. Simon Rego, a licensed clinical psychologist with close to 20 years of experience in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and other evidence-based psychological treatments, is currently Chief Psychologist, Director of Psychology Training, and Director of the CBT Training Program at Montefiore Medical Center and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York