Ashla Chavez Razzano, 17

Ashla Chavez Razzano was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She is a singer-songwriter and plays bass in a punk band. She says her writing is heavily influenced by the urban, underground, and gothic culture of LA as well as the connections she has found with people in the local community. She is thankful for the pure joy felt while performing her lyrics to a crowd of dancing people at shows. Razzano’s writing is mostly cathartic, allowing her to find insight in forgiveness and understanding. She has been published in releases by 826LA, a local youth writing and tutoring center. She was featured in a 2017 issue of Poets & Writers, and writes under the pen name “Razz” in Pinstriped Zine.

Razzano is deeply concerned with environmental protection and the mistreatment of refugees fleeing war-torn countries. She plans to attend university in the fall and wants to use her writing as a method to study cultures around the world.

body of water

by Ashla Chavez Razzano

my sweat is soft water

waiting for californians, dehydrated who

will drink my liquid body with

closed eyes, mouth

gaping, lungs

gasping for i

have felt the rains of Louisiana like no other

could bring balance again

relieving those

thirsty of

suffrage as

soak up culture and

vibrance and

moisture lost to

the desert pacific,

now,

honey

can be mass produced but

i the golden dip

i let lovers drip, and

you with flower in hand

you let bees land

and we could

give them what is reaped

golden sugar good enough to drink, cause

only we feel the rhythm of

the earth

now,

my sweat is soft water

and i can't let the south burn

even as the people tread on

forgotten dialects

sucking the fruits of

their origin, not planting

seeds in their place

they have tread on

the fabric of a pulse

and

like sweat

like blood

it dries

but like i said

my sweat is a flood.