No Clowns Allowed
No clowns allowed, though there were banners, confetti, streamers, candles, animals balloons, large helium tanks sitting in the right-hand corner, magicians showing clichéd tricks with their overwhelmingly long fingers.Thousands of red ocean balls, the exact size of a nose,poured in where children played, the pit, where every single one of them was intertwined with plastic, their innocent faces twisted into smiles no better than frowns. Clowns, with red noses and red lips, blended into the buttercream because no one can tell the difference between animal fat and cake. They kissed us children, painted our faces until paint tore down our skin, until ash burst from deflated balloons. There are no longer parties, no.No celebration was needed for another birthday. 
Poet: Qiying Feng
Artist: Qiying Feng
Editors: Nicole Kuchta, Zoha Khan
