Charis Chen is a Malaysian student studying psychology in Cedarville, Ohio. Her work with young people in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the US has led her to explore how culture and experiences influence perception and mental health. She believes that small moments eventually shape some of the most impactful shifts in perspective. In her writing, she attempts to capture some of those lightbulb moments — string-light moments, really — and untangle them into fireflies flitting freely, bringing light to more spaces.

The World in a Metropolitan Nothing

We miss different things. 

We fringe McKinley Parkway and I turn away 

Your pitched breaths mingle with city brass 

They can’t read my eyes in the dark. 

Not if they tried. 

Traffic whizzes by the junction to 11th Avenue 

-- Exhaust lights my tongue in heavy gall 

You slip your hand into mine. 

How are you doing? 

Urban forest, electric lightning bugs 

Carmine bleeds to zero 

I’m fine. 

How are you? 

Green flashes, too bright for tonight 

--rightfully steeped in shadow. 

Back home, we held hands and took walks. 

Thank you for taking mine. 

Turning onto 25th Street, 

Silence shrinks our worlds into a metropolitan nothing. 

We miss different things -- 

but seek the same.

The world collides in stories, and though each story is distinct, the themes and treasures thread through in like fashion. As vessels broken on different trails, sometimes our best step towards recovery is simply noticing the similarities in our cracks.

To Lark: Thank you for taking my hand and showing me that I wasn't alone.