Illusions
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      look
      around
      the
      classroom
     
    

    
     
      and
      see
      others’
      faces.
      Some
      smile,
     
    

    
     
      some
      purse
      their
      lips
      in
      acknowledgement.
      Pleasant
     
     
      enough.
      ;
     
    

    
     
      But
      would
      they
      listen?
      Would
      they
      care?
     
    

    
     
      Oh,
      I
      guess
      so
      --
      provided
      it
      wasn’t
      deep,
      personal.
     
    

    
     
      But
      why
      do
      I
      need
      help
      for
      trivial
      things?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I’m
      ALONE,
      you
      bastards!
      j
     
    

    
     
      God,
      I
      feel
      like
      just
      screaming
      out
      for
      help
      --
      a
      hug
     
     
      --
      anything.
     
    

    
     
      Uh-oh,
      no
      time.
      Here
      comes
      professionalism....
      Mask
     
     
      on.
     
    

    
     
      ’Uh-hum,
      Doctor
      Blimber,
      would
      you
      agree
      that
      A
     
     
      should
      be
      B?’
     
    

    
     
      *You’re
      welcome.’
     
    

    
     
      Sigh,
      I
      can’t
      wait
      to
      cry
      again.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (Do
      you
      think
      you’re
      the
      only
      one?)
     
    

    
     
      No
      ...
      I
      guess
      not.
     
    

    
     
      (So
      why
      all
      this?)
     
    

    
     
      It
      hurts.
     
    

    
     
      (Aren’t
      others
      hurting?)
     
    

    
     
      I
      don’t
      know,
      I
      can’t
      see
      through
      their
      masks.
     
     
      (Have
      you
      tried
      to
      help?)
      :
     
     
      No,
      I
      usually
      smile
      or
     
     
      acknowledgement.
     
    

    
     
      (Pleasant
      enough.)
     
    

    
     
      I
      try.
      Now,
      are
      you
      going
      to
      help
      me
      or
      what?
     
     
      (Look
      in
      the
      mirror,
      then
      drag
      your
      river.)
     
     
      Tomorrow.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      purse
      my
      lips
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ME.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Loneliness
      and
      Friends
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Both
      the
      short
      story
      and
      the
      poem
      talk
      about
     
     
      loneliness.
      We
      are
      surrounded
      by
      friends
      every
      day.
     
     
      We
      talk
      together,
      laugh
      together,
      and
      yet
      we
      feel
      so
     
     
      alone
      in
      a
      world
      full
      of
      people.
      f
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Friends,
      we
      have
      so
      many
      of
      them.
      Some
      of
      them
     
     
      are
      classify
      as
      good
      friends.
      Whenever
      we
      have
     
     
      problems,
      and
      when
      we
      feel
      depressed,
      we
      go
      to
      our
     
     
      friends
      for
      comfort,
      for
      support.
      But
      that
      doesn’t
     
     
      take
      our
      loneliness
      away.
      As
      for
      other
      people,
      we
     
     
      can’t
      even
      talk
      to
      them
      because
      they
      will
      put
      on
     
     
      masks
      to
      hide
      their
      true
      selves.
      We
      accuse
      people
     
     
      of
      doing
      that,
      but
      we
      put
      up
      facades
      ourselves
      too.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There
      is
      a
      barrier
      between
      our
      friends
      and
      ourselves.
     
     
      Perhaps
      we
      don’t
      trust
      each
      other
      enough
      to
      open
     
     
      up.
      Maybe
      we
      are
      afraid
      of
      getting
      hurt
      if
      we
      show
     
     
      our
      vulnerabilities
      to
      them.
      Whatever
      that
      barrier
     
     
      is
      between
      us
      and
      our
      friends,
      it
      is
      causing
      us
      a
     
     
      deep
      and
      unspoken
      pain.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Loneliness
      is
      one
      of
      the
      most
      painful
      of
      experiences.
     
     
      We
      live
      our
      lives
      not
      knowing
      what
      we
      can
      do
      to
     
     
      ease
      Ourselves
      of
      this
      pain.
      Most
      people
      think
      that
     
     
      there
      are
      no
      solutions
      to
      this
      problem,
      but
      there
      are
     
     
      always
      ways
      of
      lessening
      the
      pain.
      We
      can
      lend
      a
     
     
      listening
      ear,
      have
      trust
      and
      faith
      in
      our
      friends,
      and
     
     
      love
      them
      for
      who
      they
      are.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      If-
      you
      are
      able
      to
      relate
      to
      loneliness
      and
      friends,
     
     
      or
      if
      you
      have
      other
      types
      of
      experiences,
      you
      are
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘welcome
      to
      submit
      your
      creative
      works
      about
      your
     
    
   
   
    
     
      particular
      aspects
      of
      life,
      since
      we
      have
      to
      live
      and
     
     
      deal
      with
      life.
      Your
      stories
      should
      approximately
     
     
      be
      1000
      words
      maximum
      in
      length.
      For
      legal
     
     
      reasons,
      you
      must
      tell
      me
      your
      name
      and
      state
      if
     
     
      you
      wish
      to
      remain
      anonymous.
      You
      can
      send
      your
     
     
      submissions
      through
      the
      Vax
      account
      to
      GEM,
      or
     
     
      you
      can
      drop
      by
      our
      office
      down
      in
      Main
      Building
     
     
      and
      give
      them
      to
      me.
      Here’s
      to
      a
      new
      beginning!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Kheng-Wee
     
     
      Fiction
      Editor.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      October
      12,
      1990
     
    
   
   
    
     
      13