David Garcia - "A Midwinter Sky"

painting of artistic glasses and the first mission college literary journal

A Midwinter Sky

by David A. Garcia


The sun will surely rise 
Amidst the bleakness of a midwinter sky 
Where happy thoughts seldomly do come 
At the spark of a match that I could never light 
 
For I am just an erased mark 
On a beautiful white blank page 
Knowing that beneath it all 

I am truly at home 
 
So paint me blue and let me rest 
The spring has yet blossom 
With a sun that has yet to rise 
Glistening and ready to melt this away  

Until I am left skipping on patches of fine grass 
Reminiscent of a winter that has come to pass 
I realize that whether or not I was able to see 
The sun always did rise amidst the bleakness of a midwinter sky 


The Mask

by David A. Garcia


Often times when I look in the mirror I am met with my only fear 
Forced to face the mask that I wear 
The one my demons and I share 
Questioning whether or not I am more than just a hollowed core 

I swear that I only want to be good as all beings should 
So I wear this mask for all and all to see 
The mask of whom I truly want to be 
Though what does it all mean when in my reflection I remain unseen  

Are we nothing more than masks worn for our trivial tasks? 
It is in God's will, it is in our will, it is just simply in will 
The will to be the angels and demons of our own creation 
Forging our paths to what we believe to be our final destination 
As I am no saint signified by my mask's chipped paint 
I have come to realize who I am beneath this mask of lies  


About the Author

David A. Garcia is an English major at Mission College. David says, "During Army Basic Combat Training, you regularly heard that perception is reality. Growing up I was under the impression that I would never amount to anything.

The way I see it is that I come from nothing and will always be nothing. Both my grandmother's worked in the fields, my mother worked in the fields, and the men were mostly in gangs. My mother did her best, but statistics say if you're born to a poor Mexican family you'll always stay that way.

I firmly believed this until I began writing. It was in my writing that I finally felt beautiful. Whether or not I will ever amount to anything, I would like to continue doing what makes me feel beautiful."