Definitions by Mai Ly Hagan (17, Connecticut)*

Joy: a feeling of great pleasure or happiness. Alternatively: a chemical reaction. Alternatively: a necessary survival instinct. Also: yellow stains on glaring white teeth, gregarious roaring in a public place, the tickle that runs down your hand when you enter somewhere great. 

Depression: feelings of severe despondency and dejection. Alternatively: a chemical reaction. Alternatively: a necessary survival instinct. Seen in: written-journals collecting dust, a letter never sent, the drop in my heart when I realize I no longer love. ​

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Love: an intense feeling of love or affection. Alternatively: a chemical reaction. Alternatively: a necessary survival instinct. Demonstrated: remembering their order at Chipotle (burrito with pinto beans and white rice), the order of their favorite colors (blue, indigo, yellow, green…), or how they liked their shoes tied (tight around the top with room to wiggle your toes). 

All chemical reactions, yet they feel so real. So when I feel love, joy, depression, (hope, anger, hatred, peace, turmoil...) and I ask why an arrangement of substances defines my reality, I remember tied shoes, yellow teeth, and unwritten letters. There’s a million definitions to a million sensations, and a million definitions of this very thing I feel this instant.  

Definitions: a statement of the exact meaning of a word. Alternatively: an explanation. Alternatively: pinpricks in your heart. Alternatively: little objects that reflect your sensations. Alternatively: alternatively, alternatively…