By Zoe Moga, TIWP Student

*Natsukashii originates from the Japanese language (なつかしい) and refers to a kind of idealized nostalgia, dreaming of a perfect time that never was.

When I looked up in the stars, I used to see hope. I used to understand that there was more out there. I used to like that idea. Now I don’t know what I see. Flaming balls of gas that could explode at any moment and rip apart the only world I know sounds fine, I guess. My little sister says the stars are other worlds. My mom says they are unborn babies. And grandma thinks they are the souls of the dead. Who knows, though? I want to see more than I really do, but that’s harder than it seems. When I look up, I remember long nights of giggling and fun. I cry now—outbursts of mania and chaos right beneath those stars.