Green Yaksha

Alisha McMillan

When I was little my cousin would pick 

me up and tell me I was brave to look 

Yaksha in the face. Two tusks stuck out 

of his grin. Eyes, like targets, wrapped 

in green, then yellow, then black. His 

face, lined with Hah Taew. We give him 

red fanta and roses as thanks. I give him 

my terrored eyes. We do not pray, we do 

not offer more. My cousin sets me down 

to take a photo next to him. I do not look 

up, I only see his ankles, decorated in

 gold bangles, and shoes curved at the tips, 

staring at the camera.

Alisha McMillan is a senior at Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, MI, and is a creative writing major. She has been published in Interlochen's Red Wheelbarrow and in Half and One. She was an American voice finalist for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, and has won a total of four Gold Medals, two Silver Keys, and three honorable mentions. Apart from writing she can be found in coffee shops, nature walks, or learning a new hobby. McMillan will be attending Michigan State University in the fall.