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Dear Asian Youth,
I dedicate this poem to everyone staying strong through these trying times.
I crave people by the dozens
I thrive on conversation by the hours
I consume excitement by the gallons
you know these things were no luxury to me
they were a necessity
but I had my lifeline stolen away
a return policy with no end date
I was alone
a struggling patient unplugged from life support
a suffocating fish denied of water
a wilting flower dug up from the soil
I desperately searched for
connection
affection
selection
within this imperfection
I was terrified
who would've known we would be forced to find comfort
across a dimly illuminated iPhone screen?
but I found that comfort
miles and miles away
I found it in you
gently restoring my faith
we need to stay in touch
I said
and we will
you agreed
touch
that used to be a physical verb
touch
now an emotional connection
an agreement that distance could never come between us
from video calls about landscape triptychs
to matcha ice cream while singing chinese lyrics
to tears of grievance over our dying peers
to your hopeful attempts in calming my fears
to paragraphs of font 9 birthday texts on screens
to you and I exploring this crisis with dreams
your presence
revived me
energized me
you saved me
when again we finally meet
I will wrap my arms tight around you and whisper
thank you for always bearing with me
but we said distance could never come between us
didn't we?
- Eva
Editors: Sandhya G, Siyean P, Evie F, Sam L
Cover Photo Source: Science Friday