MUSEAuthor: William Flores
Atchoom! With the start of Spring
My allergies start to ring
And yet I rejoice, for not before long
We shall embrace
Of that I am sure, it cannot go wrong
At our designated place
Atchoom! As Helios grows stronger
Zoom! Is our place no longer
Powered by electric spark
I’ll come home to continue our arc
Baby, your arms are my safe port
To be with you feels like a resort
Sunscreen we shall apply
And make love until we die
Image: © Anonymous.
Author: Anonymous
It claws at you. At the back of your mind. Always. You don’t notice it, not really. Not usually. You are so used to it, that its constant nagging only really becomes noticeable when it becomes unbearable.
The first time it becomes unbearable you are surprised. Its poison slowly taking over your mind but quickly, quickly, quickly paralysing you from the inside out is unexpected. You stare at your page for hours on end, its poison hand in hand with the fear of failure numbing your brain.
You learn that it is not as you thought. You did not take a bite out of a poisoned apple, but you were drip-fed the poison over two decades of constant belittling. The constant
‘you are not good enough’
‘you are not trying hard enough’
‘you are not intelligent enough’
‘you are not enough’.
And later, when you find out why,
‘it is in your head’
‘it is not real’
Sometimes behind your back and from your peers, but oftentimes to your face and from your superiors. Those supposed to nurture. They plant the seeds and watch their weeds invade.
But you don’t often notice it, not really. You have grown used to it. Over the years. The constant nagging becomes unbearable when you find something you love. When this something you love should be something you hate. But against all odds, you love it. You care.
You have hopes and you have dreams, but you know that fulfilling them is unlikely.
But for now, you fight. And you hope.
If you prefer filling out this crossword online, here’s the link: Literary Nerd’s Crossword Puzzle – Crossword Labs (but scroll down here for the answers)
Across
Down
*Scroll down for the answers*
Answers:
Image: © Emergency Signage, Pixabay License, Source.
Author: William Flores
We’re all used to that typically Swiss tradition, repeating itself every year. At best it annoys us, at worst it fills us with paralyzing anxiety. You know what I’m talking about. No? Why it’s the yearly health insurance premium increase, of course! For real though, Swiss healthcare is a joke. Want to hear some not so fun facts? No? Too bad.
Did you know that in Switzerland 1 in 4 people don’t go to the doctor when they need to, due to financial reasons?[1] That’s because they chose the highest possible deductible in order to pay the lowest possible monthly premium. What kind of twisted, perverted, and cartoonishly evil mind came up with this system, where if you’re poor, you’re encouraged to save a few bucks every month, only to pay up to 2’500 francs out of pocket for medical bills?
And did you know that in Switzerland, health insurance premiums have gone up by 158% since 1997? In the meantime, wages have only gone up by 12%.[2]
Also, did you know that some cantons blacklist people who, for whatever reason, cannot pay their premiums? Those people then only have access to a loosely defined “emergency care.” Because of this, an HIV-positive person in Grisons actually died in 2018.[3] Their salary was too high to apply for healthcare subsidies, but because they were in a lot of debt, they could not pay their premiums either. They ended up being blacklisted, and eventually died from AIDS, because the Canton and the insurance company were too busy fighting over whether or not this person’s case constituted an “emergency,” instead of just treating them.
Furthermore, did you know that only 37% of our country’s total healthcare expenditure is covered via progressive public financing (i.e. taxes and social insurance contributions)? The EU average stands at 76%.[4] This means that mandatory insurance premiums and out-of-pocket contributions finance the brunt of healthcare costs in this country. This is an inherently regressive way of funding healthcare, as someone earning 3’000 francs/month and someone earning 20’000 francs/month basically pay the same premium.
This madness needs to end. It is high time we set up a Swiss equivalent of the National Health Service, providing free care at point of service, funded either through taxation or progressive social insurance contributions. This being a rather conservative country, we might have to wait for this, but, on June 9th, Swiss voters will have a wonderful opportunity to reform our broken healthcare system.
In fact, citizens are called to vote on the Socialist Party proposal to cap premiums at max. 10% of people’s disposable income. If the premium exceeds that amount, the difference would have to be paid for by the joint contribution of the Canton and the Confederation.[5] This would mean relief for many lower- and middle-class households, and would mark a first step towards shifting healthcare expenditure from private to public funding. It’s a small step, but it seems doable, especially given the momentum of the AVS/AHV vote from last February, which marked the first expansion of the welfare state in years. So, talk about healthcare with your friends and family, and don’t forget to vote. Let’s keep the ball rolling!
[1] Pirolt. “Franchises élevées : ces assurés qui renoncent à se faire soigner faute de moyens.” RTS, 24.10.2024.
[2] “Des primes-maladie exorbitantes : la situation se corse.” Union Syndicale Suisse.
[3] Michiels. “Pas de soins pour le mauvais payeur. Il en meurt.” Le Matin, 29.04.2018.
[4] OECD Health Statistics 2023.
[5] “Initiative d’allègement des primes.” PS Suisse.
Author: A·
I don’t like to drive.
At least, not when there are people in my car,
Nor if the trio is too short.
I find myself liking long drives alone, with the music of my choice.
During the day, seeing the landscape evolve into something else
As time passes and I drive by.
But at night, everything seems different.
When I pass through villages with yellow streetlights,
memories come flooding my mind.
Christmas was always at my grandparents’. We went midafternoon for a traditional walk
Followed by some songs, poems, and stories around the decorated tree.
Then the gifts and the copious meal: it took hours to finish the many courses and desserts.
We left after it was long dark outside,
My parents always played the same disc
The radio wasn’t entertaining that late at night.
The trip back was about two hours long,
I usually ended up sleeping most of it.
But there always were those moments, some minutes after departure,
When the sleepiness hasn’t kicked in yet,
I would listen to the music while absently looking at the lights outside.
The quiet sound of the car engine and the driving motion
Rocking me to sleep. Happy and content with the time spent with family.
Those are nice memories from my past.
Nowadays when we go eat at my grandparents, I drive on the way back,
While my parents sleep in the backseats.
Still listening to the same music.
Image: © Claire Trotti
Author: Claire Trotti
I just want to forget
The dazzling sky
Interspersed with clouds I ignored
I think there was a meadow
A pond filled with lilies
And distant pine trees
But I cannot recall
The sun’s caress
The soil’s touch
The lilies’ perfume
The trees’ height
Was the pond emerald
Or sapphire?
I don’t know
I just remember the tempest
The pain of leaving
Burnt by the blaze’s breath
And bathed in the sky’s tears
I reached home
Rocking between the wish to remember
And the urge to forget
I liked this place
Picnicing on the grass
Bathing in the waters
Sleeping on the moss
But I want to forget
This scorched earth.
Dear Felicity,
I have had a bunch of issues lately. It all started after dad died and his ghost paid me a visit to tell me that, wait-for-it, my uncle, his own brother killed him! And then ghost-dad asked me to avenge his death. Now, killing a man is really hard and I’ve been procrastinating on it for a while, but then, when I finally found the guts to do it, I accidently killed my girlfriend’s dad instead! Can you believe it?? Oh, and speaking of my girlfriend, she drowned herself yesterday… What am I to do Felicity?!
Yours truly,
Master-procrastinator-killer-boy
Dear Master-procrastinator-killer-boy,
Wow, I must say, that is some rough stuff you have going on and I’m sorry to hear about all your losses! I heard two of your friends came to pay you a visit, which sounds quite nice of them. Maybe you should go and hang out with them. It sounds like you need a solid emotional support system to get you through this and prevent you from hurting anyone else in the process. And I know this will be hard to hear, but killing another person won’t make you feel any better about your father’s death, so perhaps you should set that quest aside.
All best,
Felicity
Dearest Felicity,
I hope you are doing quite well. I’m writing to you because I have this huge dilemma. You see, my boyfriend and I have been given this wonderful opportunity to live freely in this exquisit, heaven-like garden, and honestly I could have never felt happier than I do right now. But there’s this one tree’s fruit that we’re not supposed to eat and all, but then I saw this beautiful and eloquent snake that kept tempting me to eat it and share it with my babe too! Now, I don’t want to upset the big guy upstairs, but that fruit smells sooooo goooood, I’m dying to taste it! Plus, it turns out that it might make me smarter! So why not go for it…? What’s the worst thing that could happen to me if I disobey?
Yours respectfully,
Fruit-craving-girl
Dear Fruit-craving-girl,
I feel you, just by reading your letter I’ve been craving for that piece of fruit too! But are you sure you want to take advice from some random snake? I don’t know about you, but that guy sounds sketchy to me. Listen, you don’t want you and your hubby to get into any trouble, right? So, do the right thing, and listen to the big guy upstairs and continue living happily with your boyfriend! It would be such a pity if you lost what you have and, oh I don’t know, got kicked out of that scrumptious garden!
All best,
Felicity
Dear Felicity,
My uncle has this fascinating naughty brother who I’m completely in love with even thought for a while I had never known him until today and we got engaged! But then I met this chick, who I thought was going to become my new best friend (other than the bees that I talk to and the trees I climb on) until I found out that she was engaged to my dear boy too!! What shall I do Felicity?? The bees are as speechless as I am!
Sincerely,
The girl with the bees in the trees
Dearest girl with the bees in the trees,
This sounds like quite a situation! Are you two sure you are engaged to the same man? Perhaps it’s all a big misunderstanding. Why don’t you both try and talk to your fiancé(s) and see what they say? I’m sure things will work out just as they should. Congratulations on your engagement and say “Hi” to the bees for me!
Best of luck,
Felicity
Image: © Claire Trotti
Author: Claire Trotti
O iridescent Moon
I’ve been drinking your pale gleams
Sucking every drop
of your giant whiteness
I want you full
You irradiate my sunless sky
We are alone together
I envy the stars
Cos they seem so close to you
We cannot touch
Nor can them
But at least they dazzle you
I’m no celestial lover
Just a light dreamer
Let me befriend the heron
And forget my lunar projections.
Image: © Ferris wheel at night, Pixabay License, Source.
Author: Claire Trotti
Candy floss all around, joyful melodies
We were moving in a colourful crowd
Our eyes shining like the yellow lights
Our hearts beating faster than the music.
I found him cool, cause he had a skateboard
I think we all did
So I was surprised when he asked me out
I said yes, I wanted to try churros !
He first took me to the ghost train
When he offered me his hand,
I held it to reassure him
I’ve known worse ghosts !
We laughed at children in their bumper cars
Made fun at the bashful lovers in the big wheel
Thinking we were too old to be like these kids
And old enough to copy the sweethearts
When the moon rose, he offered me churros
Sweet and greasy in their golden packaging
They were warm and comforting
Crunchy and soft at the same time
Then I looked into his eyes
He broke the distance
It was fast, soft, wet, and sweet
Then we just hugged.
Every time I taste churros
I remember his sweet kiss
My innocent joy, our delicious embrace
Of two kids discovering love.
Author: MAB
Looking at the Spring sky, I wondered how long the good weather was going to last this time. Spring is the time for new beginnings and growth, yet also one of the most confusing seasons in recent years. Rain and sun. Snow and heat. Everything and anything at the drop of a hat. March is always cold, April is a coin toss between all the weather types, and May, everybody just wants it to be Summer. Spring’s weather might be turbulent, but there is no denying that on its better days, it is perfect. Lush green grass, flowers blooming, and a soft fragrance in a gentle breeze. A sky full of white fluffy clouds that do nothing to hide the baby blue sky. The sun is shining on me with the cool breeze stopping the temperature from being too hot. People write songs about their Summer days and while I do agree with those songs to some degree, it is nothing in comparison to those idyllic Spring days.
We have prepared three quizzes for you to find out which badass female Shakespeare character, which evil Shakespearean character and which drama-llama Shakespeare character you are. Enjoy!
Which badass female Shakespeare character are you?
What is your worst flaw?
A. What are you talking about, I’m flawless!
B. I’m too short.
C. I’m too faithful and dedicated to my husband who has trust issues with me.
D. I look like my brother.
Are you in love?
A. I don’t know what you’re talking about.
B. Yes, with my boyfriend but my father doesn’t approve of him.
C. Yes, with my husband but we’re having issues right now.
D. Yes, but he’s in love with someone else (sighs).
Do you believe in true love?
A. Honestly, what is your deal with love?!
B. Of course I do and I’d do anything to protect it!
C. I thought I did but my husband’s strange behaviour is making me doubt the relationship.
D. I truly do but things are a bit complicated with my crush right now…
Do you have any impressive skills?
A. I can beat your ass at a battle of wits.
B. I have all the men fall in love with me without me even trying.
C. My commitment to others is as firm as a rock.
D. I can pretend to be a man.
What is your guilty pleasure?
A. Coming up with smart insults.
B. Provoking my father.
C. I’m afraid I have none.
D. Pretending to be a man.
If you got mostly A. you are Beatrice from Much Ado about Nothing! Beatrice is Leonato’s niece and Hero’s cousin. Unlike her cousin and most women of their time, she is feisty, cynical, witty and sharp. However, Beatrice also has a softer and more vulnerable side. During the play she is tricked into falling in love with Benedick, a soldier with whom she has a “merry war”, basically an exchange of witty insults. She is a strong character for she refuses to marry because she has not discovered the perfect, equal partner and because she is unwilling to eschew her liberty and submit to the will of a controlling husband. When Hero has been humiliated and accused of violating her chastity, Beatrice explodes with fury at Claudio for mistreating her cousin. In her frustration and rage about Hero’s mistreatment, Beatrice rebels against the unequal status of women in Renaissance society. She has often been described as a protofeminist character.
If you got mostly B. you are Hermia from A Midsummer Night’s Dream! Hermia is a strong-willed and brave young woman who at the start of the play stands up to her father to defend her love for Lysander. When things start to get rocky, the two lovers run away in the forest, followed by Demetrius and Helena and where Puck interferes and causes a heated mess between the lovers. In the end all turns out well and Hermia is allowed to live happily ever after with her beloved Lysander.
If you got mostly C. you are Desdemona from Othello! Desdemona is the daughter of Brabantio (a Venetian senator) and Othello’s wife. Desdemona is a courageous young woman defending her husband against her father’s racist disapproval and she remains faithful to her husband until her very last breath. She thinks the best of people and gives everyone a chance. She is also an extremely caring and empathetic character.
If you got mostly D. you are Viola from Twelfth Night! Viola survives a shipwreck at the start of the play which separates her from her twin brother Sebastian and she ends up on shore in Illyria. There she decides to cross-dress as a man and to take a job at Duke Orsino’s court. As the boy servant, “Cesario,” Viola quickly becomes Orsino’s favorite page and is given the task of wooing Olivia on Orsino’s behalf. As “Cesario,” Viola’s a little too good at her job and she finds herself in the middle of a messy love triangle when Olivia falls in love with “Cesario,” who can’t return the Countess’s favors because Viola is in love with the Duke. I promise you, it all works out in the end.
Which evil Shakespeare character are you?
What is your guilty pleasure?
A. Nagging my spouse.
B. Wooing my brother’s wife.
C. Manipulating people, duh.
D. Plotting murder.
What are you most skilled in?
A. Pep talks.
B. Pathologically lying.
C. Gaslighting.
D. Turning someone into a hitman.
What is your worst flaw?
A. I married a coward.
B. Murderous tendencies.
C. I have none. I’m perfect, don’t you see?
D. Jealousy.
What is your biggest fear?
A. That I won’t become queen of Scotland (I deserve it).
B. That my nephew will come after me for murdering his father (my brother).
C. Failing to manipulate people, it’s so entertaining, mouahahaha.
D. Caesar ruling one more day.
Do you believe in love?
A. There’s no such thing, I only believe in power.
B. Love? What is that?
C. In other people yes, and boy, don’t I love ruining romantic relationships.
D. Don’t have the time for the affairs of the heart.
If you got mostly A. you are Lady Macbeth from Macbeth! Lady Macbeth is the wife of the play’s tragic hero, Macbeth (a Scottish nobleman). She encourages her husband to commit regicide and consequently becomes queen of Scotland. She’s got quite some power over her husband as she manipulates him to do as she pleases, especially when it comes to killing others. After he becomes a murderous tyrant, surprisingly, Lady Macbeth looses her cool and is driven to madness by guilt and as a result commits suicide.
If you got mostly B. you are Claudius from Hamlet! King Claudius is the brother of King Hamlet, whom he secretly assassinates in order to become king. He then marries his brother’s wife, Gertrude, and becomes Prince Hamlet’s stepfather. Prince Hamlet finds out about the assassination once his father’s ghost pays him a visit and plans to kill him. Claudius gets suspicious about Hamlet once he starts behaving all weird and hires his childhood friends to keep an eye on him. Claudius eventually comes up with a plan that will kill Hamlet but ends up slain by him right before he dies.
If you got mostly C. you are Iago from Othello! Iago is Othello’s standard-bearer and trusted advisor but he hates his guts. He plans to destroy him through manipulation by making him believe that his wife Desdemona is having an affair with his lieutenant, Michael Cassio. Iago is one of Shakespeare’s most sinister villains, often considered such because of the unique trust that Othello places in him, which he betrays while maintaining his reputation for honesty and dedication. Iago is a Machiavellian schemer and manipulator, as he is often referred to as “honest Iago”, displaying his skill at deceiving other characters so that not only do they not suspect him, but they count on him as the person most likely to be truthful.
If you got mostly D. you are Cassius from Julius Caesar! Cassius is the leader and organizer of the assassination plot to kill Julius Caesar, the emperor of Rome. Motivated by his envy and jealousy over Caesar’s rise to power, Cassius manipulates others to join him. A keen letter writer, Cassius forges letters from dissatisfied citizens to influence Brutus, a fellow senator and general. Cassius had been Caesar’s friend for much of their lives; in addition, Cassius served as a capable general under Caesar.
Which drama-llama Shakespeare character are you?
You identify as:
A. A spaniel and a bit of an emotional roller coaster to be honest.
B. A hilarious person.
C. The worthy heir to the throne.
D. A master procrastinator.
Do you have any best friends?
A. I used to when I was little but my crush is now pining after her so we’re not on speaking terms.
B. Does plotting murder together make us best buds?
C. What is that?
D. I might have, like, two friends, but I don’t even bother remembering their names right.
What is your relationship status?
A. A situationship, I guess (sighs).
B. Single like a happy pringle!
C. I’m married to my terrifying spouse.
D. I have a girlfriend, but I have more important things to deal with right now! Stop distracting me!
When were you at your lowest?
A. When I slept with this dude who didn’t even love me back.
B. Whenever I have to deal with storms (they’re scary!).
C. When I lost my wife who was my rock whenever I freaked out about all the crimes I committed.
D. When I accidentally killed my girlfriend’s dad thinking he was my treacherous uncle!
In times of trouble you tend to…
A. Run after my lover in the forest, duh.
B. There’s no trouble anymore if you runaway and disappear, right?
C. I freak out to my wife.
D. I ruminate and wear black clothes (I’m in my emo era).
If you got mostly A. you are Helena from A Midsummer Night’s Dream! Helena is a young Athenian who at the start of the play is in love with Demetrius who is in love with another gal. Regardless, Helena stands her ground and remains committed to her lover. She’s a bit of an emotional rollercoaster and takes things to heart, but in the end of the day all she wants is to be loved back. And in the end she succeeds!
If you got mostly B. you are Caska from Julius Caesar! Caska is one of the conspirators against Julius Ceaser who assassinated him. He’s quite dramatic, terrified of the weather and extremely superstitious. Cassius describes him as smarter than what he appears to be and decides he will be the first to stab Caesar. Caska fled from Rome after the assassination.
If you got mostly C. you are Macbeth from Macbeth! You guessed it, Macbeth is the protagonist of his eponymous play. Now, he’s a bit of a mess: when he is told that he is to become king, he starts killing in order for that to become true. But it comes at a cost as his conscious awakes and he gets eaten up with guilt. Now, you’d think that he would stop killing after this, but nooooo, he continues doing just that in order to remain king. Lady Macbeth, his emotional support system in this bloody business is the only one that manages to make Macbeth stick to his plan whenever he’s about to lose it…until she loses it herself.
If you got mostly D. you are Hamlet from Hamlet! Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark and mourns his father at the start of the play, dresses in black and is kind of the equivalent of a teenager going through his emo phase. When he finds out his uncle killed his father and is required from his father’s ghost to avenge his death, Hamlet starts to slowly but surely lose it… He spends sleepless nights ruminating and going through one existential crises after another, harasses his girlfriend and mother, kills the wrong person, and so on.
Image: © MAB
Author: MAB
When I remember past Springs,
I think of birds with white wings.
I often dream of my childhood,
of flower gardens and dense woods,
Hunting for an elusive hare,
Searching for his eggs on a dare,
Filled with chocolate and honey:
The hunt for the Easter bunny.
Image: © H.S.
Author: H.S.
What can you choose? That is a question.
Here’s another: “What can you choose really?”
The subject of today is choice, which raises a question:
“What are some of the things you can choose?”
Birds can fly. Crows are birds, and so are doves.
Birds can choose to fly.
They can choose to fly in the day. They can choose to fly in the night.
Since crows and doves are birds, they can choose to fly in the day or in the night.
But you and I are not birds. But we can dream about them. I can. You can. You can choose to dream about being a bird (a crow or a dove) and whether you fly in the day or in the night.
There are many other things you can choose.
You can choose your height. You can choose to reach the upper shelf with your height. And if you outstretch your fingers, even higher.
You can choose your homeland. My point of origin is the sky when heaven is blue. And the sun when the sky is red. You can choose your motherland, and also your mother tongue. I chose to write “Things you can choose.” instead of “Brrrrt – tktktktktk pah!” which would be closer to what is happening in my mind.
All these words are fictional, but they are fun nonetheless.
You can choose your number of teeth.
That you can choose.
Making your face looking like your face.
You can choose.
Being bullied in school,
having ADHD,
growing up a boy,
That you can choose.
Being a boy or a girl.
That you can choose.
The shape of your sexual organs.
That you can choose.
You can choose the shape, the scent (or stench) it has, if it is bitter or sweet to the tongue.
You can choose how the veins slithers down the shaft, how hard it is when erect.
You can choose how moist it gets when wet, the aperture of the lips, is it more cauliflower or tangerine shaped?
All that you can choose.
Falling in love.
That you can choose.
You may ponder about choice, but in a poem about choice & being a boy & being a bird, my words bring me to love.
You can choose to fall in love.
Falling in Love with a Franco-American girl who grew in Cannes doing ballet school.
You can choose.
Breaking up with her.
You can choose.
Her breaking up with you.
That you can also choose.
One last thing:
Whether the rock reaches the bottom of the pond when you throw it in.
You can choose.
In a poem about choice my words take me to the colors of the sky, to birds, to sex, to love.
Those words were fun, but they were fictional.
Still, it is enthralling to think about the things you can choose.
Author: Emily E. Jenkins
This is not eating sweets
Smelling auntie’s green tea
Or reminiscing trivialities
But how she treats
My lips-
As she pleases
Why – close that door
For I’m trying to ignore
The taste of Madeleine
Image: © Salomé Emilie Streiff.
Author: Salomé Emilie Streiff
I lie in bed for hours on end. I play pretend with the shadows. They wear your face and if I close my eyes, I cannot see any differences. He is unconventionally handsome. His eyes are the colours of dreams, everchanging. Sometimes brown like the darkest secrets, often blue like true hopes and now and then golden like first kisses. His hands are covered in scars, from glass shards he picks on the floor when every party ends. He cleans the sharp ends to protect the sleeping lovers who crash on couches and every surface that will accept the taste of infinity that lies in their brief arms. His arms are soft like plums and he tastes like candy. I fell in love with the kindness with which he cares for others. I see him in the dried tears of rest after a fight, in the yawn of kids in the park and in the naked trees whose hands touch the skies that wait for their snowy dress. I lie in bed for hours on end. I dance with the shadows with our favourite song on repeat. Do you kiss them thinking it was me? Do you wake up hoping it had been me with the guilt purring on your lap? I write my questions down, worrying about the pace of the earth in our universe. The sun rises before it sets again. He is back. His face looks like yours tonight. He puts the cover over our naked bodies, fixes my hair and lets me fall back in his arms. The sun rises, and in the shadows, I smell your perfume. I could swear it was real. In a sense it was. The space between the worlds, where love is never shared and memories are never frozen. The sun sets,and the earth pursues to chase itself on this never-ending carousel. One day, there will be a little girl. Her laughs will harmonize with yours, and her eyes will look like his. I will spend my nights praying until my breath becomes a psalm. She will grow with the bliss of ignorance that pushes children to look like their parents, she will ache and dance in the same dusty sweat that lives in the bedrooms. She will have your dimples, with treasures hiding behind each smile, but she will follow his steps to the rhythm of the stars. She will always call you dad, but she will spend a lifetime running after him, treasuring each encounter. She will be the daughter of love and dreams.