10 SIENNA SOLSTICE Toronj

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10 SIENNA SOLSTICE Toronja J. Villanueva When you take a heavy motorcycle, that’s not meant for offroad use, through dirt trails filled with shifting sand, mud, and rocks—after some time there comes a sweet moment when you stop noticing all of those things. Your hands no longer feel the vibrations on the handlebars. The arches of your feet no longer feel the pain brought by the digging of the two spiked footpegs. And you float on dialed-in suspension as if your weight meant nothing at all, like I assume it means absolutely nothing in the vacuum of outer space. I remember feeling that, as a boy, when I would take an old beat up Huffy through areas I would call trails. Through rows of toronja tree labores and up on top of canal levees is where that hand me down would go. Whether it was fixing flats, stealing a grapefruit for lunch, or rearranging the old bike’s chain, I was able to handle anything. Even the horse sized dogs, from that one house near the monte, that would chase me were nothing. Whatever those trails put in front of me and that bike, didn’t have any weight at all. Sometimes, when I felt extra brave, I would stay out there ‘til nighttime and watch the stars appear. Scattered like grains of salt across the black table that is the night sky. I wondered how long I would have to pedal to reach one of those specks of light. As always, some noise from the void would smack me out of my stupor, and I would fly straight home. Standing tall regardless of my fear, tears in my young eyes, weightless on my pegs. I learned in astronomy class, once, that the nearest star to us, Alpha Centauri, is
<strong>ISSUE</strong> <strong>IV</strong> 11 around twenty five trillion miles away. On a oneto-one-billion scale of the universe—if the size of the sun was around the size of a grapefruit and you set that fruit sun down on the west coast—the nearest grapefruit would be Alpha Centauri, twenty five hundred miles away on the east coast. I still dream of one day getting on my spaceship and riding to the nearest star where another boy, on his spaceship, might have a trail for me to ride. And perhaps, a grapefruit for me to munch on.
Page 1 and 2: ISSUE 04 DECEMBER 2021 SIENNA SOLST
Page 3 and 4: LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Dear Reader
Page 5 and 6: ontents 10 12 Toronja J. Villanueva
Page 7 and 8: ISSUE IV 7 What was your experience
Page 9: ISSUE IV 9 The Waiting Stephanie Al
Page 13 and 14: ISSUE IV 13 This work is an experim
Page 15 and 16: ISSUE IV 15 To Become No One Taken
Page 17 and 18: ISSUE IV 17 I Forgave
Page 19 and 20: ISSUE I # In addition to the affect
Page 21 and 22: ISSUE IV 21 West of the Milky Way,
Page 23 and 24: ISSUE IV 23 of my digestive system.
Page 25 and 26: ISSUE IV 25 Kinetic Tapsety Aaron L
Page 27 and 28: ISSUE IV 27 SONG FOR STANDING BELLS
Page 29 and 30: ISSUE IV 29 The Tiniest Suns Maija
Page 31: Maija Haavisto is a poet, novelist,

ISSUE IV

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