Elements 2019 Edition
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King of the World I Am – Eric Short – Visual – 2019 Elements 2019 Editor-in-Chief: Morgan Cusack Faculty Advisor: Dr. Erika T. Wurth Editorial Board: Christian Sessom, Isai Lopez, Emma Dayhoff, Morgan Cusack and Jacob Taylor Alexis Fioroni Connor Sullivan Fairy Tales Evil Crow Unlocked Jewel Woodward everything isn’t what it always seems Angelique Herrera Abandonment Cory Clark Just a Bite Broken Memory In the Dust Kate Birr Caught Austin Middelton Days Gone Sidney Bottino Coffee Curtis Pointer Sound Casey Hendrickson Ekpharastic Cold Human Aaron Mendenall This Evening Jacob Taylor Don’t Blame Your Diagnosis Living in Chicago Kaylee Gundling Emma Dayhoff Meshes of the Afternoon Greenwood Letting Go Director’s Cut Joshua Miller No Longer Alone Morgan Cusack this place you made Matt Barry Chasing the Sun Birdcage Those Left Behind Shelby Davin Emilie Hahn The Boogeyman Overcome: A Sestina Marshelle Kellum Emily Trenter Me a Writer? Frozen Patience Alisa Davis Deadbeat Dads Best Part Winners of the Lois C. Bruner Creative Nonfiction Award: 1st Place - Marissa Purdum The Dog Days 2nd Place - Marcus Sweeten A Dose of Change 3rd Place - Kendrick Keller Flight Winners of the Cordell Larner Award in Fiction: 1st Place - Adam Norris Cheap Rubber Mulch 2nd Place - Angelique Herrera Hush Hush 3rd Place - Brandon Williams End Measured Mile Winners of the Cordell Larner Award in Poetry: 1st Place - Eric Short Speak to us on Freedom The Drinking Game You’re Old Country Now 2nd Place - Marcus Sweeten 102 E. Clay Zerzan 3rd Place - Janae Imeri The Puppeteer and The Puppet Train of Thought Alexis Fioroni “Fairy Tales” What did you do? I did what any woman would do, I filled my bed with the finest queens Searching for you, in their damp skin I kissed the quiet valleys in the cracks of their backs, their celestial mooans, Danced with sacred fairies. But they weren’t you. You, my love, had the power, to raise the sun, with just your smile. The stars truly gleamed for you, the constellations were jealous of the way You swam effortlessly in Orion’s belt. And you are, a symphonic siren that can lull any skilled sailor to their death. I would’ve crashed on your rocks. I promised myself, that I would not make you, the sun, in my life. That. Only that. Position could be fulfilled by yours truly But, my god! You must have been, my moon so melancholy, so bright I use to wrap myself in fairytales, you were always the protagonist, I wanted to save you, just once, But I realized I didn’t have the magical elixir, that turned ogres into princesses, I didn’t have the sword that sleighed the dragon, And I couldn’t climb the tallest tower. So what did you do? What. Did. You. Do? I stopped believing in fairytales. Jewel Woodward “everything isn’t what it always seems” everything isn't what it always seems that's why at night i have nightmares and in the day i daydream some days i just can't focus and it hurts me to the core that the memories we made we couldn't just make one more i was only five when it happened but it seems like it happened not long ago i can only imagine the pain on our mother’s face when they lowered your body into that cold empty space how could they shoot you in the head? over something that you said then they turned the gun on everyone else and made them clean up the bloody mess as you lay there without a breath within your soul they put plastic bags over your skull and after that they threw you in the trunk just like you were a worthless piece of junk i guess no one in sight cared that’s why at night i have nightmares some days i just think about how nothing will ever be the same all i have left of you are memories and photos in a frame i just daydream about how things could've been i don't even know where to begin all the fun times we could've had and all of the times you would've been proud of me especially for becoming a high school grad i daydream of what you could've been i daydream about how on the football field you loved to win you are my heart because i need you to keep the blood flowing in my veins so that nothing within me will fail i need you to keep me going through high water and hell you are my heart because i know you're inside of me and there’s no way i can touch you but i feel you, because forever here you’ll be you are my heart because i can hear your heart beat as if i had a stethoscope to my ears just like my headphones i hear your music it gives me hope and dries away all my tears my heart is broken because i can only see you through pictures and sometimes it makes the pain worsen i yearn to see you without the nightmares and daydreams oh how i wish i could see you just once more in person… Cory Clark “Broken Memory” During a stride through winter lanes I cursed the drifting snow Carrying a sigh with my hindered gait I wondered where to go With every forgettable face And unfamiliar home I happened upon a place I did know Stories were told on the winter winds About a home of rich pine Where the clearest glass met sturdy steels Wrapped in a complex design With the snow at my back I gazed with surprise For I saw a home much better than mine! But despite all the glowing windows There wasn't anyone to see No shadows wandered the halls below It was as silent as could be But hidden higher up In a tiny window Were little blue eyes looking down at me A youthful gaze watched from way up there Surprised and dazed, she froze Then cocked her head to the side childishly In an almost cute pose Wearing a hint of fear I started to draw near But she quickly drew her curtains to a close My curiosity swept with the wind I turned back to face the road When the squeak of an old door called I looked back at the warm abode That girl did peek From the cracked door And said quietly, "Come in if you're cold." I was drawn inside the heated home Leaving behind the winter But to say I was comfy would be a lie For the halls heard not a whisper I couldn't help but ask For it was bugging me so "Where are your mother or father?" Her grin faded and eyes met the ground A quiet tear tapped the floor And the warm air turned tense and dark She stood quietly at the door Paused in place She whispered "They aren't alive anymore" A meek apology was all I could spare She accepted it with a smile Before charming me with happier words Chatting calmly for a while And though I wasn't warm I had to leave soon The winter storm had grown hostile Before stepping out into the whipping winds I asked, "What's your name again?" She gave me a soft giggle and playfully said "You can just call me a friend" She left it at that And bid me farewell Our brief talk at an end I thought to myself, "What an odd girl" But despite her weird manner I would go out of my way to see her Standing at that aged manor I'd wave to her And she'd wave back As we'd start our daily banter When winter shed its shell for spring And the snow'd be swept aside Clad in a white sundress and rose garnish She'd finally be outside Watering vivid roses Trimming green hedges And clearing out small shrubs that had died We exchanged our careless daily words While the sun was falling fast I knew it was time to scurry home Because the day wouldn't last Before I could leave With a quick motion She stole a rose from green grass And with a gaze aimed at my heart She thrusted that rose my way Wearing an almost haunting smile "Just for you," she'd say I could only accept Thanking her aplenty And heading out while it was still day But as I walked my solemn route home People's faces turned sour They looked at me with bewildered eyes For at least close to an hour But I didn't care Not in the least Still admiring the cute girl's flower Time dragged on with those merry days Every wave and talk the same It was a loop of cheer meant just for us I surely couldn't complain But I still wondered Much about that girl Since I still didn't even know her name Spring had passed and nothing changed While the summer reached its peak I would still visit that lonely girl Every day of every week And on one late night With a sullen march My cheery friend I would seek For I had a spat with mom and dad And sought comfort In that sweet girl's soft voice That would ease any hurt At her bright home I could see her Prancing casually in the attic, hardly alert Too afraid to knock on the door And too hidden by night I found a place to hop up on the roof Grasping any foothold in sight I scaled the rooftop Reached for the window And flung it open with all my might Startled, the girl quickly rushed to me Fleeing her quiet estate Following me out, perched on the roof Wood groaning under our weight She crossed her arms And asked with a pout "What brings you here so late?" "I was wanting to see my friend." I softly uttered Her pout turned into that sweet smile Not whispering a word Her cold, pale hand Rested on my head And I spilled all complaints unheard What comfort she offered to me I took without respite With every hushed word she gave Into that glistening night It was more than I wanted And more than I needed Seeing her was such a delight And when my hopes were lifted And the tears had passed She'd ask me the silliest things Questions about my past Like where I was from Or where I would go "What did you want to be?" she asked I never thought about something like that "I guess a musician." She'd giggle softly in response "Sounds fun!" she'd grin That innocent smile Led her hand to mine Grasping tight with her soft, pale skin "What about you?" I asked her Wearing a blank stare She tilted her head aside in deep thought Her cute pose she'd wear