The Literary Magazine of St. Ignatius College Preparatory 2009 the Quill 2009 • I Dear Reader
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The Quill The Literary Magazine of St. Ignatius College Preparatory 2009 The Quill 2009 • i Dear Reader, Imagine yourself fifty years from now, reflecting back on your days at SI. What will you remember? In the end, what truly matters? In our lives, there are so many things we are told to remember and so much to learn, and yet, later when we look back on these days, what will we hold dear? What we will hold dearest of all is life itself. And, where is life recorded for us and for posterity? How many of us have had the experience of reading a passage and seeing ourselves in those words? Words have the ability to capture emotion and truth in a way that speaks to our deepest self. Sometimes literature gives us great joy, while other times it forces our eyes open to that which we do not wish to know. Regardless, it allows us to feel as others feel, and to know what we otherwise could not. Language, culture, and religion may not be universal, but life is. Literature captures the essence of life and records it for those in distant lands and times, so that others can one day know that we have lived. The Quill 2009 is the proof that you have lived. Formulas and faces, overnighters and grueling practices will fade, but you will always have the essence of your time here at Saint Ignatius College Preparatory recorded in these pages. We would like to think that you will keep this magazine, so that one day it may act as a window to days gone by. Recorded in this issue is nothing more or less than life – the lives of your classmates and yourself. We would like to invite you to take your time reading and viewing each of the works enclosed. Turn each one over in your mind and allow yourself to feel the life in each. Delve into the beautiful works of your classmates and enjoy! Your fellow lovers of the pen, Eli Shikaloff Adriana Reinecke Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Cover Art: Through the Looking Glass • Christine Hirtzel ’09 • Photography The Quill • 2009 The Literary Magazine of St. Ignatius College Preparatory, San Francisco Published by the English Department with cooperation from The Fine Arts Department Editors-in-Chief Adriana Reinecke Elias Shikaloff Production Editor Emily Gray Art Editor Alessandra Jones Editorial Board Corinne Ankenbruck-Keogh Christine Hirtzel Margaret Palazzolo Emily Baylor Lindsey Hoyem Mary Palazzolo Anjalee Behti Christopher Hoo Pierson Racanelli Isabella Blasi Gregory Joson Gabrielle Reinecke Rachel Blomberg Jackie Lalanne Bernadette Rabuy Ellie Buckingham Robert Lucchesi Josh Ruck Andrew Champeau Thomas Maloney Andrew Smith Amanda Espiritu Sophia Melone Daniel Tan Sofi Gomez Alexander Nash Carolyn Vinnicombe Kirsten Harris Camille Ong Zoe Wong Angela Owczarek Faculty Advisors Ms. Elizabeth Purcell Ms. Carole Nickolai Mr. Peter Devine Faculty Support Mr. Paul Totah Ms. Katie Wolf 2001 37th Avenue San Francisco, California 94116 • www.siprep.org/english • email: [email protected] Katharine Hepburn • Corrine Ankenbruck-Keogh ’09 Pencil 2 • The Quill 2009 SAINT IGNATIUS COLLEGE PREPARATORY 2001 37th Avenue San Francisco, California (415) 731-7500 Carole Nickolai, English Department Chair To the S.I. Community: At a recent lecture delivered at San Francisco’s Herbst Theater, Azar Nafisi, proclaimed, “Readers of the world unite!” Nafisi, best-selling author of Reading Lolita in Tehran, argued that in this time of national and global polarization, we desperately need literature to help us connect with each other. Reading encourages empathy, enabling individuals to understand the perspectives of those whose beliefs are foreign to our everyday lives. According to Nafisi, if our future world is to be a peaceful, pluralist culture of genuine thinking and re-imagining, we must share our stories. The works enclosed within this issue of The Quill reflect St. Ignatius students’ contributions to the body of literature Nafisi deems so important. They represent unique experiences and perspectives, providing insight into the hearts and minds of Northern Californian high school students. However, many of the poems attempt to enter into the spirit of someone unfamiliar. Our upper division prize-winning poems reflect the perspectives of Claggart, the maligned antagonist of Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, and Homeless Jones, an itinerant street-person. Equally thought- provoking, one of our lower-division prize-winners delves into a hidden world of artistry while the other laments the tragedy of the Holocaust. These works reflect our students’ ability to enter into the experience of those on the periphery. Ultimately, they reflect SI’s theme for this 2008-2009 school year – “How are we with others?” – encouraging care, respect, and appreciation for every unique person regardless of his or her background. Please join me in thanking the hundreds of students who submitted their work for publication, The Quill editorial board for their tireless dedication to producing such a beautiful magazine, and members of the English and Fine Arts Departments for inspiring such talent. I would especially like to thank my co-moderators, Ms. Elizabeth Purcell and Mr. Peter Devine, who daily inspire me and their students. Without them, this publication would not be possible. In her lecture, Nafisi stated, “We need literature, a portable world of imagination and memory, to carry with us everywhere.” I am sure you will find that this year’s copy of The Quill provides the perfect medium for your empathetic journeying. Carole S. Nickolai Chair, English Department EDUCATING THE YOUTH OF THE BAY AREA SINCE 1855 The Quill 2009 • 3 Seaside Sunset • Ally Jones ’09 Photography Inspiration I want to write the perfect poem So I went searching to the mountains One that will grip the minds of my avid readers And valleys, lakes and oceans But I don’t know where to start Until I got tired of searching Nor how to go about that And wandered into a long, deep sleep So I asked a wise man and he said Somehow I couldn’t find inspiration “Don’t start writing till you get inspired” In all my trials and journeys I looked around for inspiration The wise man saw my despair In wine, woman and song And told me not to worry All three together is heady “Listen to the sound of traffic And I went to sleep unsteady Inhale some putrid air” I woke up with an awful headache “Listen to the hum of mosquitoes And inspiration was far away And take in the city smells” Then I went to the wise man “Admire the glass spires He said “it’s not the end.” of the sprawling human hive” “Keep looking for inspiration “When you’re back in your natural habitat You’ll find aplenty in nature” Inspiration will find you there” Filippo D’Asaro ’11 4 • The Quill 2009 My Girl Hey, Is it love or is it hate? My relationship has been like one long date. She dresses herself in white with blue stripes, yet her personality quickly changes types. Sometimes I do her at home, sometimes at school, sometimes at night, sometimes in the morning; I’ll actually do her anytime, anywhere. I obsess about her night and day, but she can’t even think about me. I wish she would just leave and rot away, instead staying here making me feel crappy, killing my social life and making my friends unhappy. Know what? Screw this, I need a break from homework. Norman Chak ’11 Shakespeare’s Twist Shakespeare knew a thing or two, About love and destiny, He still has us wondering who, Deserves our sympathy. Who are we really rooting for? In this world gone mad. Don’t pick the angel anymore, It’s more fun to be bad. Grace Buckingham ’11 Rise I look back as I part ways with the ground What a time for this joyful ascension I think of the beauty that will be found With this new found mental reinvention I smile and wave as I rise above friends As they stay in lower places than I I hope that bad times will come to an end And they’ll meet me up here when they rise Now I fear for when I come crashing down I loathe my inevitable descent I fear for when my feet touch on the ground And when I will wonder where this joy went But for now I will sit upon my cloud Watching below, smiling, laughing out loud Matt Kolhede ’09 The Quill 2009 • 5 Tribute to Tobias Wolff t is worth noting what Leonard did not remember, mystery he felt watching her as he sat down next to her in given what he did remember. He did not remember class, nor did he remember years later lying down in bed his adamant refusal to attend his brother’s funeral next to her after another late night committee meeting and Ior the way he had told his congregation his brother looking at her sleeping form and failing to remember the deserved death because AID’s was a sinner’s disease. He last time they had made love. did not remember marching into the cool dark chapel He did remember sitting in the room with bleached to finally recite the oath he had practiced so many white walls in his mother’s house reciting bible verses on times or the pride he felt when he hung the ordination a Sunday after Church. Leonard remembered watching certificate in his office. He did not remember the way he the children outside the window playing. He remembered had protected his daughter by refusing to hire the black adjusting his scratchy collar and longing to tear it off.