Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2625638 PM Title: 03_B_02_Ramblings_2016 / Glenbard East - Students - Links -… Page 2 of 5
RAMBLINGS 2016 Glenbard East High School Lombard, Illinois
Editor in Chief Kelly Womack
Co-Editors Cynthia Cabral Ariel Barbee Tara Aggarwal Alyssa Palazzolo
Readers Kelly Womack Cynthia Cabral Ariel Barbee Tara Aggarwal Alyssa Palazzolo Maggie Garrett
Advisor Mr. Bill Littell
Acknowledgements We would like to thank Ms. Wink and Mr. Cho who have provided all of the student artwork for Ramblings this year and years past. We would also Laura Sandoval - The City Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2625638 PM Title: 03_B_02_Ramblings_2016 / Glenbard East - Students - Links -… Page 3 of 5 like to thank Mr. Gancarz for helping us with Ramblings’ amazing layout and the many technical problems we stumbled across. And finally, a huge thank you to all the students who submitted work. This magazine just doesn’t happen without YOU!
WRITINGS Taylor Harris - I Live In Tori Glaza - Parallels Tara Aggarwal - Villainous Woman Tori Glaza - Dear Mom... Cynthia Cabral - The Eyes of My Sammy Gonzalez - The Brush Lovely Foe Sammy Gonzalez - Questions Ariel Barbee - Valerie Taylor Harris - Character Sketch Alyssa Palazzolo - I Am From Taylor Harris - Skeptics Hymnal Gihan Abushanab - I Wear Taylor Harris - Untitled 1 Gihan Abushanab - Untitled Taylor Harris - Untitled 2 Gihan Abushanab - Where I’m From Jesse Johnson - Crown of Thorns Khadijah Alexander - Nerdy to Flirty Emily Kates - We Are Strangers Ahmed Ali - A Dark Encounter Amber Llorens - Gone Andrea Anton - The Voice Alexis Melvin - The Bonfire Sarah Austin - We're Robbing Alexis Melvin - The People I am Blockbuster on Tuesday From Sam Batjes - Universal Thought BombAlexis Melvin - Tough Love Alex Battaglia - Bird Song Carlos Meyers - I'm From... Alex Battaglia - I Am the Dragon Maya Ogolini - Boys and Men Deajanie Blalark - The Rocking Chair Maya Ogolini - Study in Art Serenity Brame - A Sociopath’s DreamAmongst Other Things Brittany Paganucci - I Want to Grow Cynthia Cabral - Eyes Half Open Old with You Cynthia Cabral - My Little Baby Alyssa Palazzolo - The Game Cynthia Cabral - Return Momentarily Quentin Perry - Graywood Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2625638 PM Title: 03_B_02_Ramblings_2016 / Glenbard East - Students - Links -… Page 4 of 5 Joey Campos - Netflix and Chill Quentin Perry - Momm@ Sam Caruso - Throwback to Middle Jamese Peters - Chaque Jour. Tous School les temps Tala Clower - Friends Austin Schanken - Absence Tala Clower - Her Elizabeth Somodji - How to be Tala Clower - Midnight Whole Lauren Crudele - She's Still Her Kailey Trostle - Crazy Old Woman Daughter Kailey Trostle - Rhythm in My Brain Marissa Dunbar - Growing Up with Kelly Womack - Carpe Diem Insomnia Kelly Womack - The Road Marissa Dunbar - Time Maya Ogolini - I’d like to have you Kristel Ebeling - 36 Inches for dinner Kristel Ebeling - Chapter X: Ebony Kelly Womack - Thank You Kristel Ebeling - I’d
ARTWORK Miguel Barrera - Vroom Vroom Clay Kepuraitis - Moped Alex Battaglia - Life Hasnain Khundmiri - Dystopia Alex Battaglia - Solstice Hasnain Khundmiri - Exposure To Raven Berry - As Time Passes Life Wounds Heal Kristina Ladonski - Snuggles Raven Berry - The Sad Lonely Flower Megan Lieberenz - Oppression Of Woman Josh Burns - Infrared Imaging Deven Majcan - Sky Cat Dakota Castrovillari - Untitled Diana Manterola - Stand Out Monica Eilers - Looking Through The Patrick Mikel - Untitled Meadow Eric Mikuki - Untitled Kiana Ellison - Beauty Sydney Nasternak - Cracked Kiana Ellison - Saved For A Rainy DayConcrete Kiana Ellison - Untitled Gissell Ocampo - A Textured Melisa Flores - Untitled Painting Rachel Gale - We Poor Kings Aaron Pedro - Cold Gabby Valerie Galvez - Untitled Eric Perez - Deathly Hallows Brooklynn Gialdini - Another Brick In Alissa Petrole - Empathy The Wall Eric Pineda - Untitled Francisco Gonzalez - Let Go Ezekiel Ramos - Untitled Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2625638 PM Title: 03_B_02_Ramblings_2016 / Glenbard East - Students - Links -… Page 5 of 5 Francisco Gonzalez - Space Laura Sandoval - Touch Of Death Francisco Gonzalez - Untitled Laura Sandoval - Still Life Val Gross - Dark Bench Jack Sarocka - Aaron Heily Gutierrez - Artificial Power Danielle Scalzo - Untitled Heily Gutierrez - Untitled Anesti Sotirovsk - New America Taylor Harris - Atticus Joey Tait - Internal Sanctuary Taylor Harris - But You Weren't Made Kacey Taylor - Untitled For These Stars Jake Thomas - Self Portrait Taylor Harris - The Lovers Star Thomas - Double Minded Katie Iwinski - Cranial Council Aly Walker - Entertainer Katie Iwinski - Graduate Zach Wolff - Art'Ritis Katie Iwinski - Pedestal Zach Wolff - Nature’s Beauty Hailey Jenkins - Trying To Breathe Zach Wolff - Warriors Nicole Joseph - Untitled Gabby Zajac - Red Ribbon Haley Kamradt - Through The Trees
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2647652 PM Title: 01 / Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.Glenbard.… Page 2 of 2 I Live in Vroom Vroom Taylor Harris Miguel Barrera
I live in art. Anything within arm’s reach For restless fingers to snatch their grip Charcoal-stained clothes and Acrylic on cheeks, smeared Heavy strokes caress paper in thoughts The skull alone could not contain Spilling.
And reddened scleras upon The violent glow of a laptop screen In the most forlorn hours of the morning Where the only cure for a restless mind Is the stylus clutched between aching fingers.
The well-meant wallowing of judgment For the foolishness of the Artist Lay down starved in the clenched fist of society The ostracism of my obsession Whispering.
We live We live
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2648657 PM Title: 02 / Copy: Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.Gle… Page 2 of 4 Villainous Woman Life Tara Aggarwal Alex Battaglia
Tap, tap, tap ... "Enlighten me, Mr. Mason," a cool smile graced her blood-red lips. A picture of poise and elegance, propped up in her throne of leather. Slowly, her ice blue eyes slid to Mr. Mason, cutting into him. "In what circumstances does a little girl, a human, get away from a devious beast like you?" It was perfectly clear she was mocking him, playing with his mind. Tap, tap, tap... her long, polished fingernail met the dark oak of her desk. She was the picture of perfection down to every single detail. It was a picture that would force an onlooker to look away or stare in a trance due to the royal demanding presence she possessed. Mr. Mason would have spoken, would have defended himself, but he was silenced by the cold amusement glinting in her eyes. Tap, tap, tap... She wanted him to squirm. "The last time we met, you assured me you could handle this... situation. Were you lying Mr. Mason?"
Something cold in her reveled as she noticed the panic that flooded the demon's eyes. Pathetic things really- all show, no real value. Mr. Mason, stuck in his weak form of submission, fiddled with idle hands. He knew it was a trick question. Neither answer he could give would please her. Apparently, his hesitation did not please either.
"An answer, Mr. Mason." The woman's royal voice dropped any connotation of playfulness - as chilling as her eyes.
"Miss, it was my b-best intentions..." Mr. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2648657 PM Title: 02 / Copy: Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.Gle… Page 3 of 4 Mason stuttered. He never stuttered before.
"Speak properly,” she said coldly, interrupting him.
Taking a deep breath, Mr. Mason tried again. "I kept watch. I led her to the club, Lux. I had her in the room, Miss," he desperately explained. "But someone interfered... Saved her Miss.”
There was no forgiveness in the ice. “Then, perhaps I should apologize, Mr. Mason, for assuming a demon like you," her voice dripped with disdain, "could withstand measly interruptions and interferences."
Mr. Mason would have fled for his life right then and there. He had failed, and he knew the consequence. Slowly, the elegant woman stood. Silence fell over the room, already seeming to choke him. No, he was choking, unable to breathe precious air. Shock, panic, anger, many emotions ran through his weak body but there was no chance to act upon them. Mr. Mason managed to move his body forward - either an attempt on the murderous woman's life or just the chance to run. The woman did not move her icy gaze away which contrasted- albeit beautifully-with the cold, amused smile that once again took hold of her lips. And just like that, Mr. Mason was nothing but a snapped neck on the floor. Tap, tap, tap...
"Safe travels home Mr. Mason." Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2649617 PM Title: 03 / Copy(2): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 2 of 3 The Eyes of My lovely Foe Solstice Cynthia Cabral Alex Battaglia
She is much less likeable and no stranger to me. One would say to stay away from such a person, but in my circumstance it is unfortunate yet a great opportunity to be forced to live with such an interesting pest. And I'm certain that she feels the same way. Every day is a routine with her but such little surprising details come up that make me feel fundamentally entertained. We quarrel over moments of forgettings, and insults soar from our mouths that play a song of blissful deception. Our relationship is bittersweet and sweetly bitter. The smallest things make us exchange blows and the simplest words make us burst out laughing in unison. We don't care to share but then the other person's belongings lay in the hands of the opposite from time to time. And then we admit to it and yell to return some unimportant possession. We hold grudges not for too long and when the lights turn dark we smile once again.
"It's cold.,” she says from the other side of the room. " I know,” I whisper back. Silence. Then the sound of a blanket unfolding, the soft fabric rustling, without a needed invitation. She crawls into my bed, and we both retreat in the warmth of each other's company. We don't say anything but we giggle quietly. Then more silence. We turn, facing each other. Dark, but I can see the silhouette of her head. Without thinking, my movement looking just as thoughtless, I raise my hand and brush it through her hair. The soft and short mane runs through my fingers for a little moment, only to feel the tips fall back Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2649617 PM Title: 03 / Copy(2): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 3 of 3 on to her scalp. I feel her hands do the same thing and little tugs to break the tangles from my long coarse locks. “What are you thinking?" She asks. “ALot." I whisper back. "Of?" She asks again." I don't know." I answer.
And sometimes on very special and rare nights we share tears, silently. And we wipe them to create a glow across the cheek that draws the tender fondness for each other as blood connects through air, creating invisible veins that grip tighter with every notion. Although these nights are not so rare anymore because for some time I enjoy the eyes of my lovely foe.
*Writer's note: This is dedicated to the relationship of a sister with dareful dilemmas but with passion shared to me.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2649630 PM Title: 04 / Copy(3): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 2 of 3 Valerie As Time Passes Wounds Heal Ariel Barbie Raven Berry
It was covered in ink, done so through leisurely doodles and furious words. Not a blank space was to be found on the notebook; it had been used so lovingly. The white knuckles that gripped the tattered object belonged to hands that had been delicately inked, with swirling designs that flowed up tan arms before disappearing under the sleeves of a robin’s-egg-blue t-shirt. Long dark hair covered some of the tattoos as it tumbled down from the girl’s head all the way to her waist.
The inked girl sat with her legs tucked u n der her in an old sagging chair, with her head leaned up against the wall of the waiting room behind her. Despite the awkward position, she appeared to have fallen asleep and was snoring slightly. A nurse walked out from behind the check-in desk and called out “Valerie Jones?”
With a jerk of her head, Valerie’s eyes snapped open and she immediately answered with a frantic “Yes? Is he awake? Can I go in?”
The nurse paused, carefully answering, “No, there were some complications…”
Valerie’s face turned white. “Oh God. Complications. Oh God. But… but he’s all I have! He… he’s getting me through college. He’d been working some double shifts lately and I always told him that he needed to rest b-but hi ins-sisted. He Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2649630 PM Title: 04 / Copy(3): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 3 of 3 s-said I needed more time to write…” Valerie trailed off as tears crawled down her face.
“Miss, let me finish. He is in delicate condition after the surgery. There were some complications, but he is likely to make a recovery. You may not come in to visit right now. It’s one a.m. Come back this afternoon and we’ll see how things are.”
“Oh God. Thank goodness. Thank you,” Valerie whispered in response. The nurse walked back into the ward, but Valerie remained in her chair. Shifting her feet out from under her, Valerie opened up her notebook and began to write…
Goals: Get paying job Finish book and sell Make sure Dad rests
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2649643 PM Title: 05 / Copy(4): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 2 of 2 I Am From The Sad Lonely Flower Alyssa Palazzolo Raven Berry
I am from the black-and-white photographs hidden in my attic that I have never seen
I am from the uncle whose cheeks I share and the great-great grandfather with whom I share my sense of humor
I am from five miscarriages and a miracle
I am from step siblings and divorce; anger and rage, screaming and yelling
I am from death and tragedy; from seventy-eight funerals and nineteen "accidents" from three stabbings and a life sentence
I am from fat jokes and stress eating
I am from that cold, dark, and dusty attic.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2649658 PM Title: 05a / Copy(50): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 :… Page 2 of 3 I wear Internal Sanctuary Gihan Abushanab Joey Tait
I used to feel depression like a triple knit wool blanket with thorns lodged on the inside.
I used to feel depression as if I got hit by a moving truck going a hundred miles and hour and reliving it and experiencing it over and over and over.
Depression was the smell of cookies beckoning me forward only to reach my destination and find moldy trash.
Depression was the sound of folks telling me, "You'll be fine" when I was screaming for help on
The inside.
Depression was the sound of folks telling me they understood why I was sad, when it was more than sadness, it was pure agony.
Depression looked like all of my broken dreams, blood, and anxiety manifested into a single person.
Depression looked like a shell of my previous self; I had changed; now I’m empty and bitter.
Depression tasted like a bitter ending and bland food.
Depression was lies and bitter pills that never seemed to work.
I used to wear depression like a wool blanket with thorns on the inside but now, Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2649658 PM Title: 05a / Copy(50): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 :… Page 3 of 3 I wear hope like
A golden cape and crown myself Hopeful.
I'm still pulling thorns out of my side, but I have shed the blanket and don a new, better coat.
Today, hope is a budding flower growing in my soul and I am the product.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650613 PM Title: 06 / Copy(5): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 2 of 4 Untitled Infrared Imaging Gihan Abushanab Josh Burns
Samantha Bloomer was born in Loogoon, Washington on the most rainy day of the year. Her folks called her birth a miracle from the pouring babies since she came out feet first. Those feet would take her to many different places and I (Miranda is the name) was there to watch most ( if not all) of them. I was there when she needed a pencil on the first day of kindergarten in Ms. Cusack's afternoon class, there when she had her first run on a bike, there when she had her first kiss with the cute boy in class during the eighth grade dance, and there when she successfully stood up to my bullies for me. So, obviously at the tender age of 25, I was still here and Sam, was basically the same with a few new faces.
Sam was the feistiest of us out of the whole bunch.
"Wow, how about you not be such an effing dick all the time Rodrigo?" Sam sneered at him, spoon full of gooey mush in her left hand.
She pulled her hand back and piles of pumpkin guts flew in his general direction, it was October 1st, meaning spooky competition was in the air. We had 30 days to create the best-looking Halloween decorations in order to be crowned "The Spookiest House Of The Year." It was tradition and Sam has never lost since the two of us moved here 5 years ago.
Rodrigo ducked just in time to miss the glob of pumpkin, "How about you stop being a controlling bitch, love?” a small Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650613 PM Title: 06 / Copy(5): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 3 of 4 teasing smile appearing on his face. Rodrigo was always this way, forever the jokester; seriousness was not a leading factor to his personality. Sam stopped scooping pumpkin out of her jack 'o lantern and looked up sharply, throwing daggers into Rodrigo's soul. She stood up all of a sudden and strode across the kitchen, her 5'0 physique seemed miniscule compared to Rodrigo's 6'2 one. She reached up on her tippy toes trying to seem mean but instead looking adorable. She pointed a long index finger up into his face and her eyes turned into small slits.
“Listen here COURT JESTER," her voice biting and each syllable as sharp as a blade.
Rodrigo still smirking, "Do you understand what 5 time reigning champion means? I put my heart and soul into this project and I will NOT have a clown such as you ruining this for me! I have spent over $5,000 just in the last years doing this project, my name is well-respected in this community because of my efforts, and I would rather eat shit than see it tarnished, do you hear me???"
Sam's face had turned a crimson red, her finger jabbing into Rodrigo's chest. Rodrigo looked my way and I looked down focusing on the task of folding that Sam had given me earlier. I was not getting in the middle of this.... Slowly he raises a finger and lightly taps a fuming Sam's nose, and then wraps his arms around her waist, drawing her off the ground and closer to him. He raises her head up with the same finger he had tapped her nose and next thing you know, his lips are touching hers. I stare in shock as you see a tight, stressed, angry Sam Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650613 PM Title: 06 / Copy(5): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 4 of 4 sagging against Rodrigo's hard body. Sam sighs and releases control for just a second, smiling against his lips, Rodrigo slowly lowers her to the ground, and Sam stumbles slowly trying to regain her balance, a sloppy grin on her face.
"Better?" Rodrigo asks, his eyes burning bright with love and that smirk forever on his face.
"Mhm," Sam mutters, taking a seat on a nearby stool.
“Now, let's get back to work.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650627 PM Title: 07 / Copy(6): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 2 of 3 Where I’m From Untitled Gihan Abushanab Dakota Castrovillari
I am from where it all began, From the ever-beaming sun and melanin-kissed skin. I am from broken backs and hopeful dreams. I am from the gongalace trees and stray habash, Cracking, bending, it made me, me. I am from the beauty of nature, A culture celebrated by those who have been stepped on and underestimated. Shadows of people, who no longer fear oppression, but beckon those, who dare, to enter. I am injustice by tyrants, who only care about dollar signs on every paper, And ironically whether they can make the people they use equal to nothing to zeros. I am the little girl clutching her straw doll while she screams in agony, Watching the men who killed her father, Do the same to her mother in a different way. I am the little boy clutching a gun to his chest, Bullets whizzing past him, Because nobody told me that being a child soldier didn't mean I was going to dress up. I am the mother carrying water seven miles every morning at the crack of dawn on my back because this will be the only thing my children have to quench their thirst. I am the father who gets whipped and tortured as if I wasn't the same man as he, Because pride has never kept my family alive. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650627 PM Title: 07 / Copy(6): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 3 of 3 I am from war, Mass genocide created by those who don't realize that the only reason Why I am different from them is because they made me that way. I am centuries of the white man’s hand, But nobody told me that the white man was actually a whole body. I am from the mouths of my people, A voice that has escaped and is ready to be heard because I figured out That the white man doesn’t listen until you can speak like him.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650640 PM Title: 08 / Copy(7): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 2 of 6 Nerdy to Flirty Looking Through The Meadow Khadijah Alexander Monica Eilers
“Honey, with those pimples, glasses, and braces, even Jesus couldn’t find you a man!” Sally sneered at Sara while looking at her up and down. Sara dropped her shoulders and her head hung low. She could not look directly at Sally anymore. She knew this was a bad idea from the start. How could she, Sara Foster, ever expect to become one of the “cool kids”? She had been the same knock-kneed, clumsy nerd all her life. So why change now? For God’s sake, her own sister did not even like her – and they were blood!
“What ever gave you the idea that you change,” Sally went on, fixing her sweetheart curled hair in the mirror. “No matter what you say and no matter what you do, you’ll always be that creature I’m unfortunately related to.”
Tears were on the brim of Sara’s eyes. All she wanted was help and to know what it was like on the other side. She turned away from Sally and started heading towards her room. She refused to let Sally see her cry because that would only make the situation worse.
Right when Sara’s hand touched the doorknob, Sally called after her. She looked over Sara one more time and then, with an evil smirk, said, “I’ll tell Jake you said ‘Hi’ tonight! Well, that’s if we actually do any talking, if you know what I mean.”
Just like that, something in Sara set on fire. Now, war had been declared. Sara barged into her room, slamming the door behind her. Pacing back and forth, her Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650640 PM Title: 08 / Copy(7): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 3 of 6 mind going a mile per minute, Sarah frantically thought of a plan. Then, just like Bobby Edwards had in 3rd Grade, it hit her. She didn’t need her sister – or anyone else for that matter. She would give herself a makeover of her own.
“I mean it can’t be that hard with the help of good ole Internet here and a little bit of observing at the mall,” Sara said to herself. She’d do it little by little for the next few days. That way, people wouldn’t really notice, and right when the winter formal comes, she could hit them smack dead in the face with the new her. It was perfect! Now she just had to map out her game plan, and so she sat down at her desk to make it.
Week One Day 1: Throw out old baggy jeans, beat up sneakers, and granny sweaters. Switch to skinny jeans, dresses, skirts, boots, flats, crop tops, and fitted tees. Day 2: Sashay away from the messy ponytail to flat ironing or curling hair. Day 3: Dodge the coke bottle glasses and get contacts. Day 4: See if makeup can work a little magic. Day 5: Goodbye brace-face.
Sara looked at her list, satisfied. She tucked the list into her back pocket and headed towards the door. Tomorrow would begin the process and she had to be prepared.
When Sara finally got to the mall, it was nearly dead. Yet, she spotted a group of friends there whom she thought would be great to take notes of. She began to follow them as they headed towards a store. She made note of how they walked Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650640 PM Title: 08 / Copy(7): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 4 of 6 with squared shoulders and one foot straight in front of the other. Each step screamed confidence. She wrote down the brands of the clothes they had on. This, of course, had Sara confused. She could not figure out why the girls had on things that were blue, green, black, etc. Yet, they all said ‘Love Pink’ on them. She made a mental note to research that later, and she continued to scribble down small details.
The group of friends did not even notice her. However, Sara already knew they wouldn’t. No one ever took notice of her except her own parents and the jocks that had shit for brains. After following the girls around for a little more, she decided it was time to pick her poison. Sara picked out five pairs of ripped skinny jeans in different colors, four fitted t-shirts, a pair or brown combat boots, and another pair of boots in black. She went on to look for accessories. Once she was done collecting all the necessary tools, Sara paid for her things and headed home.
The next morning, Sara woke up before anyone else in the house. She was tossing and turning all night thinking about this plan. So when it finally reached 6 AM, she decided to get up and give herself a little pep talk.
“Come on Foster, get it together. You’ve got this. Now it’s time to kick ass and show them what you’re made of! It’s go hard, or go home.” She looked at herself in the full-length mirror. She started laughing two minutes later. She could not believe she had used the same pep talk her dad used when coaching the football team. After composing herself, Sara decided it was time to get ready. It took 30 Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650640 PM Title: 08 / Copy(7): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 5 of 6 minutes of frantically trying to piece together an outfit but she finally got it in the end: A white tee, maroon skinnies, and her new brown combat boots. It was perfect, well at least Sara thought it was. Looking in the mirror, Sara actually admired herself. Now she could see what her mom was getting at about these clothes. She…she was actually hot.
After one more look of approval, Sara headed out the door and attempted to tiptoe down the stairs. She fist pumped after making it to the bottom without tripping. As Sara made her way to the kitchen, she noticed a figure standing over a frying pan on low heat. She recognized the person: Mom. “Shit,” Sara cursed under her breath. She quickly tried to turn around and make a run for the front door. In the process, she bumped the little lamp table by the kitchen entrance. The old lamp crashed on the floor. She cringed, “Good job keeping a low profile,” she told herself. Her mother called out, “Who’s there? Steve? Sally? Sara?” Sara realized there was no running from this and she finally gave in.
“Yeah Mom, it’s me, Sara,” she called to her mother as she finished picking up the pieces of the lamp. Keeping the pieces in a neat pile, she walked into the kitchen. She was greeted with the mouthwatering smell of bacon.
Sara’s mother glanced at Sara. “Oh honey! You look so cute today! Why the sudden change?” She was kneading dough into what it looked like, biscuits. Sara simply explained to her mother that she was trying something new. She swiftly grabbed an apple and was out the door. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650640 PM Title: 08 / Copy(7): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 6 of 6
Sara arrived at school, a little earlier than normal. She decided to go to the third floor bathrooms where she was sure no one would come. Looking in the mirror at herself, she smiled. However, the smile quickly faded when she realized she would have to face the whole student body of Green River High. What would they think? What would they say to her? All of Sara’s nerves made her stomach churn, and she dashed into the bathroom stalls. After throwing up the contents of her stomach, Sara stood up and turned to the last face she wanted to see then.
“So, you thought you could hide? Well, joke’s on you.”
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650655 PM Title: 09 / Copy(8): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 2 of 14 A Dark Encounter Beauty Ahmed Ali Kiana Ellison
In London, December 19, 1868, upon walking home from the shop, I encountered a tall man-in-black strolling through the streets. “Good afternoon, my good sir,” he called.
I looked around but could only see the mass of people walking the street, but noticed a man standing still, staring at me. “Good afternoon to you too,” I replied courteously.
“My, what a marvelous evening we have,” he said looking up at the setting sun in the horizon.
“Indeed it is,” seeing the beauty of the horizon as he had.
“Ah, I apologize, it seems that I have forgotten my manners, my name is Jack Nightray, and you?”
“Oswald, Oswald Baskerville.”
“A pleasure” he said with a beaming smile. “Say, what is it that you do for a living?”
“Umm, I am a doctor” I answered.
He nodded, “Yes, it is a great profession to be in, wealth, status, and you don’t even do much do you?”
“No not much really.” I smiled, somewhat awarded by the question. “Umm, would you care to have a drink with me?” I asked, gesturing at the small coffee shop down the street. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650655 PM Title: 09 / Copy(8): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 3 of 14
“I am honored by the thought, but I must respectfully decline. Maybe some other time.” He answered, leaning on his cane.
Now that I take a closer look at the chap, he is a young, tall lad with wavy black hair, amber eyes, wearing a top hat, a long coat with a pocket chain, and a silver pendent with an unfamiliar family crest, and a silver steel cane, and I realized, this guy is seems to be wealthy, maybe even a nobleman.
“Is something the matter, Mister Baskerville?”
“Ah, no, nothing at all” I disclaimed with a faint smile.
“Alright, shall we move along?” he asked.
“Where to?” I replied, confused.
“Well, to my estate of course, I would like for you help we with a certain project that I have been working on for a while now, and I would like your assistance with it, I know this is our first encounter, but I would appreciate it if you would give me some of your time?”
I sighed, “Alright, lead the way.” We took a short cut into a dark alleyway, which made me feel uneasy, with the bricks of the buildings falling off, the broken windows, and littered with garbage, and all. If someone were to see me in a place like this, they wouldn’t think of me as a criminal or a shady character, right.
“Are you sure this is a short cut to your estate?” I whimpered, walking closely behind Mister Nightray. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650655 PM Title: 09 / Copy(8): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 4 of 14
Mister Nightray simply laughed, “Of course it is, what a strange question to ask!” he said, kicking away the trash as he walked by.
How can he be so jolly, I thought. As we walked through the alleyway, I heard a gunshot, not so far away; most likely it was shot off at the end of this dark alley. “Lets go back” I offered, clinging to a sense of hope that he would think the same thing, well of course he would, like who would be foolish enough to go head on, knowing that some delinquent has a weapon in possession, right. But mister Nightray just stood there, frozen to the coble stone. Is he afraid, I thought, it must be, well it’s not uncommon for one to fear the possibility of death, so it’s only natural. Yeah, it must be fear.
But it seems, that I guessed wrong. He grinned at me, and said, “Why waste such a great opportunity as this?” he questioned, walking toward the sound of the gunshot. He’s joking, he was just messing with me, I thought. Well I seriously hoped he did. He strolled down the alleyway, eating a piece of chocolate, humming to himself, and I had no choice but to follow. I finally caught up to Mister Nightray, nearly tripping over a rusted water pipe in the process. At the scene was a young boy, probably 14 years old, who seems to be beaten severely, with a bloodied arm, most likely due to the gunshot I heard earlier. Standing above the boy were twelve dangerous-looking men. One with a revolver, another with a knife, seven with bats, and the rest unarmed. To me, it seemed like these blokes were harming an innocent boy, but it was common in this day and age. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650655 PM Title: 09 / Copy(8): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 5 of 14 Children work to make family ends meet, but if they were unable to work, they would be disposed of, I know it is terrible, but I have no power to do anything about it. I looked at the boy, with a sorrowful look, guilty that I still could not do anything to help the lower class live life in happiness. The men then noticed that we were watching, and turned to us, weapons in hand.
They were probably thinking of erasing the eye witnesses to prevent trouble for themselves, I sort of understood, their intent from the look in their eyes, so I started to get ready to bolt out of harm’s way, but Mister Nightray, came forward and said with a smile, stomping his cane against the pavement, “Do you blokes enjoy picking on of weak?” I suddenly froze after hearing those words coming out of his mouth. Is he serious, I thought with a horrified expression. No, no, this can’t be happening, is he seriously signing not only his, but my own death warrant? Is he crazy? I turned to the men, and as I thought, they weren’t too happy, and I just noticed, that these lots are from a wanted gang, that was stirring all sorts of trouble in London for a while, and somehow, it was called the Blue Tigers, and now the situation just keeps getting worse, and worse.
“This is the job our boss gave us, but I’m not going to lie about us enjoying it, it’s just business” a tall, muscular man, who seemed to be the leader answered, pointing his revolver at us. “And speaking of business, I have no choice but to take you out” he cackled.
I turned to Mister Nightray, gave a worried look. Mister Nightray looked, and nodded Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650655 PM Title: 09 / Copy(8): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 6 of 14 in agreement of retreating, and calling for help. Mister Nightray turned to the gang and said “Alright, so I assume the usual then, Alain Ducasse (Expensive British restaurant) will be a good enough place to eat as you were going to treat us when you said ‘take you out’ no?”
“NO, that wasn’t what I meant, you’ve got a big mouth, but it won’t be long before I break it!” the gang leader snarled.
“It seems that you are mistaken for you have a cocky mouth, thinking that you could get away with anything with your superiority in numbers,” chuckled mister Nightray, walking to the side of a broken down building.
“Where do you get all of this confidence?” I exclaimed in fear, and helplessness.
“That is irrelevant,” he answered. “Now shall we get down to business?” he said swinging his cane back and forth. “Sir Baskerville, please take shelter by that dim light post in the back”.
I did as he said, and I felt guilty, guilty that Mister Nightray is going to face these blokes and I cannot even support him, much less fight. I was ashamed of myself.
“Do not be ashamed mister Baskerville, for your concern for me shows that you have done enough for me,” Mister Nightray said with a cheerful smile, and those words, are powerful words that I will never forget. “Now then, who is man enough to challenge me?” he questioned. The men took up arms, and surrounded Mister Nightray, twelve to one. One of the men lunged at him with a knife, but surprisingly, mister Nightray easily Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650655 PM Title: 09 / Copy(8): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 7 of 14 sidestepped, and grabbed the attacker’s arm and flipped him over his shoulder onto a nearby trash can, knocking him out in the process. “Well, it seems that I must discipline you all by force.” Mister Nightray said with a gleam in his eye. The other two unarmed men rushed to overpower Mister Nightray with brute force; however, Mister Nightray anticipated the plot, keeping his distance from them by taking a few steps back. But, what actually surprised me was that, in all this ridiculous, unfortunate turn of events, he keeps smiling as if he is having fun. That’s when I realized a dark shadow looming over him for a moment, but it must have been my imagination. Mister Nightray reached into his coat pocket and revealed what seems to be a kukri (A Nepalese knife with an inwardly curved blade), and threw it at one of the enemies head, faster than they could react, killing him in the process. Now everyone rushed at Mister Nightray, but Mister Nightray found it amusing. He ran towards the men, but leaped just over them to the corpse of the second man, to collect the thrown kukri. The first three, armed with bats, attacked him, but Mister cleanly intercepted the blow with his kukri. He then shifted to the side, causing the attacker to lose balance, and went in for the kill, slitting his throat, ending his life. The other two attackers backed away, in fear of the possibility of death.
“Well now, who wants to join in the fun, anybody?” he smirked, twirling the kukri blade between his fingers. That action agitated the enemy.
I then realized that he has something I do not. Mister Nightray possesses self-confidence, and I know that for me Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650655 PM Title: 09 / Copy(8): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 8 of 14 possessing confidence in my own abilities is impossible, but I really want to over come this wall, halting me from moving forward. “I really envy you, Mister Nightray.” I whispered to myself, admitting the feel of jealousy, and admiration. Though I wouldn’t want to be him right now.
“What are you fools doing, give him no time to react!” the leader exclaimed. The enemy regrouped, taking advantage of their numbers, and slowly stepped closer with caution. It is now nine on one. Wait a second, there seems to be eight of them visible, so where have the other one gone? Then I slowly realized my blunder. A cold small blade was placed near my throat, it’s blade tingling my skin with it’s cold metal.
“Don’t move!” said the ninth man. “I said not to move, or else I’ll cut his throat.”
I cannot believe my horrific luck. First I got into a fight, which I was practically useless in, then I have to sit and watch the fight, thinking how useless I am, and now I have been made a hostage of. Seriously, can this day not get any better?
Mister Nightray shook his head, chuckling. “You really like watching from the sideline don’t you, Mister Baskerville.”
“Huh, what did you say, do you think that I like watching a bloody fight as a lamb to the slaughter?” I retorted.
“Alright, alright. I understand. I will get this situation resolved, no worries, okay.” He said, casually brushing off the fact that I might as well die in a matter of seconds. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650655 PM Title: 09 / Copy(8): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 9 of 14
“You know, I really want to break you right now.” I said.
Astonished, Mister Nightray asked, “For what are you so upset, sir?” We both laughed, and laughed, to the point of others thinking that we have gone insane. This made the enemy feel uneasy.
“Hey, stop it, or else-“ just before the ninth man could even finish his sentence I smashed his face with the back of my head, and man, it really hurts, but the pain was worth it. The man dropped the knife, taking steps back holding his bloody nose in a daze. I seized the opportunity and took up a nearby steel pipe, and with little to no experience in wielding any sort of weapon, I attacked him until he was left unconscious. My heart was left pounding, racing with fear and excitement, and my hands shaking with anxiety.
Looking at the bloodied pipe, and the unconscious body, I looked to Mister Nightray, where he stood amazed. “Well, good show there Mister Baskerville, I got to say, I’m impressed. So shall we now deal with this rambunctious group, eh?” Mister Nightray said, with gleaming eyes of excitement.
“Well, I think I will sit this one out.” I said leaning against the alley wall, hands still shaking.
“Alright, I won’t force you.” He then took out his pocket watch, and glanced at the time. “Hmm. I guess it is getting a little late, hasn’t it. So I should start to take this more seriously, or else my elder brother will have a fit. Mister Nightray reached again into his coat pocket, and retried a Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650655 PM Title: 09 / Copy(8): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 10 of 14 six-barrel revolver, and pointed it to the gang. He clicked the trigger, releasing one shot, and another for a second. Killing two more simultaneously in rapid succession. And in a quick fluid motion, he hurled the kukri knife that he was still wielding at the man with the revolver just before he could pull the trigger. The man screamed in pain, grasping at his impaled arm, blood leaking onto the cobble stone. The next three men charged. Mister Nightray pulled out a knife, smaller than a kukri, but this one seems sharper, like a Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife and sliced off the hand of the oncoming attacker, kicking him away to intercept the next. He thrusted the blade into the hand of his opponent, switching forms, he directed the knife which was still wedged into his hand, into his face impaling him into the wall. He then drew out the knife from the corpse and engaged in a fierce battle with the third man. This man seems stronger and larger, with some experience in combat, compared to the rest. Mister Nightray and the man exchanged blows, from slashes, to lunges, to parries, neither side gave in.
“Hey, why don’t we stop this farce, and call it even. You know you won’t be able to win, and we already lost some of our guys, so let’s stop anymore meaningless bloodshed.” The man offered.
“You pick on the weak, harmed my acquaintance, and on top of it all, you tried to kill me. So I think it be unfair to call it even with the death of only seven of you lot, right.” And just as the final clash occurred, Mister Nightray shot him dead with his revolver. “This is taking longer than I thought.” He said, seeming agitated. “Mister Baskerville, please count down from ten. It will all be over soon.” I Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650655 PM Title: 09 / Copy(8): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 11 of 14 nodded, seeing as there are four more opponents, I doubted that he could finish this off, in ten seconds no less. But from what I have seen, maybe he could. I took a deep breath, “Ten.” I counted. Mister Nightray lunged with beast-like speed and b eheaded one with a short sword, pulled out from his cane. “Nine.” He then pointed the revolver at the second, but he jumped to the side, avoiding being shot at, which in turn saved his own life. “Eight.” I counted down. Another one picked up his comrade’s dropped revolver and began shooting all six rounds. Mister Nightray charged ahead, dodging the six bullets with ease, and impaled the man in the heart with his sword. However the other member attacked him with a hammer. Jumping back to avoid the fatal blow, Mister Nightray stood unarmed against two others. I already counted down three more numbers, “Five.” I watched with amazement of Mister Nightray’s skills, clearly presenting himself as a master combatant. “Four.” He ran up against the one carrying the hammer, and preformed hand-to-hand combat, with six rapid punches to the ribs, followed by a right jaw breaker, killing the man on impact. I stood still, wondering how someone like him can possess such demon-like strength. Then I noticed something gleaming in the darkness around Mister Nightray’s hands. And I knew that it was not demon-like strength, but an ingenious mind, for he was armed with brass knuckles. He quickly accelerated towards the last thug, and preformed a series of punches to the abdomen, breaking his ribs. “One.” His guard dropped which let Mister Nightray deal the finishing blow with a powerful right upper-cut to the throat, breaking the man’s neck, and Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650655 PM Title: 09 / Copy(8): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 12 of 14 killing him in the process. “Well, that takes care of things, now doesn’t it?” He said, brushing the dust off his top hat. “Can you help this poor chap, Mister Baskerville?”
“Oh, right.” I said, rushing toward the boy. “His left leg seems broken, but not unrepairable. He will be able to walk in a few months with the proper treatment.” I informed. “Say let’s help him out, shall we?” I nodded with a smile. He may be a dangerous fellow to be with, but he does show kindness.
“Lets.” We finally got out of the alley, with Mister Nightray carrying the injured boy. I got hold of a horse carriage, and immediately rode to my clinic, where I have treated the boy, of course. The operation was a success. After seeing the violent, and brutal nature of Mister Nightray, I figured it not the best idea for him to treat the wounded.
“Now do you see a small sample of corruption of this world? Gangs using children to work, and throw them away if they are of no use, nobles bribing higher officials for positions, or to cover up some scandal, it really makes me sick.” Mister Nightray asked, with a serious look on his face. “Say, I would like for your aid in my p r oject. A project to dispel corruption from the world. We will start off small and get to the bigger problems at hand. I was thinking of uniting the people of the slums, and the working lower classes under one power. Oh right, we should include gangs too, but it’ll be a pain disciplining them. Nevertheless, with that kind of power, and influence, we should have a sufficient Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650655 PM Title: 09 / Copy(8): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 13 of 14 resources and power to overthrow the corrupt government officials of this land.”
I
looked at him, carefully examining if what he said was a joke, or that he seriously meant it. “Are you out of your crazy mind. To even think of overthrowing the government is, is, its balderdash!” I exclaimed, unable fully comprehend what I had just heard. “It’s not only dangerous, but also reckless.” “I won’t force you my dear friend, but you’re welcome to help anytime.” With that notice, he began to leave. I do not know what to do. I mean, if every act was as dangerous as this evening’s, you could c o unt me out, but I would be lying if I claimed to feel no thrills from the event. I want to experience new things, and learn new materials, but I do not wish to risk my life for it. I do not know what to do. The cause seems pure, but to include bloodshed, wouldn’t that create new hate, leading up to an endless cycle of vengeance, and sorrow. I thought for a while, and ran out to catch up to Mister Nightray. Finally caught up, wheezing from the long sprint, I said “I wish to join… to expel corruption…from this world”
“Glad that you can come with-“
I’m not doing this for you, I coughed, still catching my breath. “I’m doing this for myself, and for the new generations to come.”
“Alright,” he said looking awkward for a moment. “ So let us meet at this spot here at this time tomorrow, what say you?” Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2650655 PM Title: 09 / Copy(8): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 14 of 14
I coughed, still recovering my breath “Sure, no problem.” I agreed.
“Well then, good night.” Mister Nightray walked off, disappearing into the darkness o f the night. I have now decided to help him, like, I feel if I do not go with him, he might do something reckless to show off, and that the underground mafia as well as assassins would target me hired by the government for being involved with that man, well that’s what Mister Nightray told me.
Yes, I will use him as a means of protection, chuckling as I started walking home. Well, now I actually can’t ever see that happening. Wondering if my life would ever remain its peaceful, ordinary self, but I realized that with him, I can no longer live an ordinary life. I looked up at the beautiful night sky, the final, normal night sky of my life.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2651625 PM Title: 10 / Copy(9): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 2 of 3 The Voice Saved For A Rainy Day Andrea Anton Kiana Ellison
In the beginning, the voice was subtle. Loving. You barely noticed it. "I can make you beautiful." Everyday, the voice sings, "Listen to me. Follow my instructions. You will be beautiful."
Soon, the voice stops singing. "Don't eat that, you’ve had enough." Week by week, it becomes harsher. "Skip breakfast. Just for today." "You only need to eat half that sandwich today."
The once-loving voice is now screaming at you. The voice is a knife, stabbing you. Hurting you. "YOU'RE PATHETIC!" "YOU ARE WEAK!" "You will NEVER be beautiful."
You don't recognize yourself anymore. This thing in the mirror, standing where you are supposed to be, is a skeleton. Hips and ribs and other bones are sticking out of your body. As you are examining the thing in the mirror, you hear the familiar, sinister laugh. "Look at you. Look what you did to yourself." "You will never be beautiful." "Pathetic!" Shards of glass are flying. The thing and the voice are gone.
Venom is being spewed at you, always. When you think of food, laughter. When you look at food, it insults you. When your stomach growls, it says it's just cheering you on. When you are in so much pain, Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2651625 PM Title: 10 / Copy(9): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 3 of 3 immobilized, it whispers, “Beauty is pain."
Pathetic Weak Fat Ugly Don't eat that You ate enough You'll never be good enough You'II never be beautiful
Your life is reduced to hiding, lying, hurting the ones you love. Scrapes on the back of your hand. Eroding teeth. Acid burning the back of your throat, feeling like you just swallowed lava. You feel weak, always. Barely having energy to get out of bed. Your commander has forbidden you from letting food touch your lips in 3 months. Your eyes begin to flutter shut, and everything goes black.
You wake up in an unfamiliar place. A man walks up to you. A face you've seen before, yet you don't know where from. "Welcome, beautiful." "You look like an angel."
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2652612 PM Title: 11 / Copy(10): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 2 of 5 We're Robbing Blockbuster Untitled on Tuesday Kiana Ellison Sara Austin
We're robbing a Blockbuster on Tuesday. After jazz rehearsal. You and I aren't free any other day of the week. And I like to think we are both alike. After jazz, we go home and think about nothing and everything.
We're robbing a blockbuster on Tuesday. We'll hop in the back of your mom's borrowed Prius And throw your guitar and my bass in the back of that tiny car. We'll cringe as we hear the tough instruments crash together We'll Shrug And then hightail it to the video store We'll throw on Halloween masks And throw up the hoods on our jackets we won't have to worry about crashing. Because a Prius has a high protection rating against crashes. We won't have to stop for gas either. A Prius is energy efficient. You'll bring up the bizarre nature of robbing a movie rental store And I'll remind you it's the adventure that we're focusing on, And not the actual crime. As we get there You'll floor it through the store's front window. You'll brush safety glass off your jacket And You'll slide out of the car But your belt loop will get stuck on the door. As you struggle and tug to free your pants Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2652612 PM Title: 11 / Copy(10): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 3 of 5 I'll walk over and pull you right out of them. And I'll smile as I wrap my arms around your torso Because I know there's a bruise on your rib cage from the last time you tickled me And I kicked you. Hard.
We're robbing a Blockbuster together on Tuesday. The boringly patterned blue carpets layered in dust mark our footprints. You’re in your pizza print underwear and a bear mask and a jacket I'm laughing that laugh you said you always loved But everyone else mocked me for. You look ridiculous And I love it. You'll click your tongue and we'll bolt for the movies. You'll shove comedies in your underwear Horror in your jacket Romance in my shirt Documentaries in my pants. You'll stick a bag of candy under my mask And I'll stick popcorn under yours.
You'll try to balance a movie case on your index finger And you will fail. And I'll roll my eyes under my bat mask But out of love for you Because you are ridiculous. And I love it. We'll push the Prius out of the smashed store window and jump back in. I'll drive this time Candy blocking my right eye.
We'll drive to a Motel 6 Where we'll try to keep straight faces with the check in lady Her face puzzled and ancient Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2652612 PM Title: 11 / Copy(10): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 4 of 5 She's making just above minimum wage to pay for her Netflix and dog food. She'll hesitate and hand us the key We'll smile Take the key And then scurry to our room Giggling and trying to keep our movies from falling out of clothes.
We'll lay the movies out on the white sheets of the bed. And you'll laugh and turn to smile at me And I know that when you smile at me You might actually love me. You'll pull out the candy from my mask and I'll pull out the popcorn from yours. And we'll cuddle together with our snacks. We'll put on Indiana Jones or Troll Hunters 2 And we'll toss the popcorn and candy into each other’s mouths.
You'll turn back to the movies and frown at Ghostbusters You'll tell me you left your sheet music and guitar picks at Jazz. You'll go outside and call someone on your cell phone. So they can grab your music sheets And collect your picks And drop them off at your home.
But alas. We won't really be robbing a blockbuster on Tuesday This is just a little fantasy. A day dream made up between the thoughts of you And the nostalgia of going through old belongings. Like finding a blockbuster rewards card And movie tickets And thinking about prehistoric things Like when you used to call me on my cell phone Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2652612 PM Title: 11 / Copy(10): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 5 of 5 Late at night when you needed company. And I miss that most of all. From all the things that have ceased their existence. But one thing that refuses to cease its miserable existence Is my feelings for you. In today's reality, our love is like Blockbuster. And Blockbuster doesn't exist anymore. I guess I let you go knowing you might be happier. The same way I thought Blockbuster was moving to a bigger location In a better trafficked area. For better business.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2652626 PM Title: 12 / Copy(11): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc.… Page 2 of 2 Universal Thought Bomb Untitled Sam Batjes Melisa Flores
To put it simply
I am from a small town with bland colors
A town that consists of purely black and white
A town with as much pigment as an untouched coloring book
But my mind thinks in vibrant colors
And goes on like the universe
And when I speak
I throw up the rainbow
But these thoughts that I spew
They are chirping birds in a city full of obnoxious cars No one can hear the beautiful sounds I can make
Because nobody wants to
Well if this town wants to be an empty coloring book
I want to be a crayon.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2652641 PM Title: 13 / Copy(12): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 3 Bird Song We Poor Kings Alexander Battaglia Rachel Gale
My voice in a chorus with the songs of the birds, Year round I will sing for you, even if my voice is no more, It will wrap you in its healing melodies, preserving you, I will keep singing my song so you remember how to sing one day, And join me once more, in my bird song.
I surrender the warmth and protection of my feathers to you, Hoping they will mend your broken body keeping the strain of the winter season away from you, I give them so that they might protect you from the illness that bites at you like the Harsh winter winds around us, You need these feathers far more than I, so I give them to you.
Though your flight is gone I will give you mine, So that you can experience the beauty of the world around, Every green pine dipped in snow, the bristles holding the millions of small crystals Known as snow, Every pink peach blossom we've passed in the warmth of spring, the delicate petals dancing in the warm sunny breeze, Every orange and red maple, leaves fluttering to the ground with no defined path, Not fearing what will come.
I will give you the freedom my wings give me, So that you might be free from this illness Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2652641 PM Title: 13 / Copy(12): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 3 of 3 that chains you to the unforgiving ground, I will take up the chains and live a flightless existence, So long as you are able to fly free.
I will give you my entire being, Whatever can be of use to you I will give, Until there's nothing left of me, and we fall like the carefree autumn leaves, I will continue singing, This is my bird song.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2652656 PM Title: 14 / Copy(13): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 3 I Am the Dragon Untitled Alexandra Battaglia Valerie Galvez
I am the Orange Death I am the shadow that passes over the brush I am the one who brings pain I am pain I am the breeze just after the storm I am the plague everyone fears I am the menace, or so they say I am bringer of destruction wherever I go I am useless I am waste I am beast I am me. I believed what they said, Until I met you And you showed me, I could fly higher, I could explore further, I could run faster I could trust I could help others I could be joy I could bring warmth I could bring happiness I could be useful I could love And I could be loved, I am not what they say I am, I am what is in my heart, I am the protector I am love I am me I protect the things love Protect you. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2653610 PM Title: 15 / Copy(14): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 2 The Rocking Chair Another Brick In The Wall Deajanie Blalark Brooklynn Gialdini
Sitting in the rocking chair They stared up at the sky Watching birds fly.
Sitting in the rocking chair, the Little girl sings songs way off key. The lady sits next to her holding a cup Of tea, smiling with glee.
Sitting in the rocking chair They star-gaze. Soon The lady starts to feel a bit hazed.
Sitting in the rocking chair, The little girl mourns the lady who Sat next to her.
Many years later, sitting in the rocking chair, The little girl, who isn’t so little anymore, Sits with a daughter that she bore.
Sitting in the rocking chair, the Little girl remembers when she sat in the rocking chair, as a little girl with her late mother.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2653623 PM Title: 16 / Copy(15): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 6 A Sociopath’s Dream Let Go Serenity Brame Francisco Gonzalez
We can choose to pursue our lifelong passions and most intimate desires. We can choose to deny ourselves the opportunity to preserve bad habits or to allow negativity to relinquish hope. But we can also choose to refrain from doing anything, remaining a passive observer in the backseat of our destiny.
When you're constantly in the company of someone you adore, you spend every waking moment attempting to delve deeper into their mind, with the hopes to understand them thoroughly and completely, so then interpreting subtle changes in their behavior becomes inevitably automatic. Maybe if they're feeling particularly exhausted, they'll look up and sigh a dozen times a day, or if they suppress a grin, feigning disinterest, it simply means they are excited about something that everyone else pays little attention to.
I’ve always had the ability to read people. It’s not like some rare gift or anything; many people have acquired this ability. These are the people who characterize the act of trusting others as an “unfortunate development”.
Then there are people similar to my friend, Sophia; they are part of a “cult” known for blindly trusting everyone, some of whom they trust out of the fear of appearing rude. So when Sophia asked what we would be doing for her 18th birthday, she believed me when I nonchalantly mentioned going out for dinner and a movie - nothing too exciting - Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2653623 PM Title: 16 / Copy(15): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 3 of 6 but because of her ancient sense of fun, it sounded like a great idea to her.
“So where are we eating dinner? Did you make a reservation yet? I know you hate the whole idea of making reservations, but there's always a chance we can't get a table or something like that because that's happened to me before. And we should buy the tickets right now, like online so we’re good.
“One time, we were in a big group so I had to refund my ticket. I was the only one though because no one else bothered to buy their’s earlier. Idiots. All of my friends are literally the stupidest people I've ever met,” she sighed. “You're like my only smart friend. You don't look smart though, no offense. You just look like you don't care about anything. Or anyone. Except for me, of course.” She pauses to make a choking sound. She thinks she’s hilarious.
Sophfia or Sofia - I'm not sure which way she's currently spelling it - and I have been friends for two years now. It didn’t take long for me to learn how to tune out the irrelevant. I do appreciate how animated her face becomes when she starts droning on about her life. She reminds me of an Antarctic silverfish, an endlessly boring vessel until it's touched and ignited by the sun. Sometimes, I doubt she'll ever escape the constricting life her parents sculpted for her before she was born.
She often attempts to describe how her misery eats away at her. She'll express her gratitude and unconditional loyalty towards her uncaring, ignorant, abusive parents and then ponder the reasons for Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2653623 PM Title: 16 / Copy(15): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 4 of 6 her low self-esteem and suicidal tendencies. Most people just think she's a whiny, self-centered bitch. Yet, there's so much more to her.
This is what I do though: friend someone who could use a personality adjustment, slowly erase the person their parents have trained them to be, and then send them off to live a better life. I wouldn't necessarily call myself God, per se, but godly is an apt description. I admit it's less about the people than it is about the game. How fast can I alter them? Can I make them fall in love with me? Can I turn them against the toxic people in their lives?
Sophia was a tough cookie. Only a few months ago she finally admitted to herself of her desire to be more like me. Usually it takes people much less time before they own up to their idolization of me. But the combination of her unreasonable idea of perfection, and her immense pride makes her fight her jealousy - with the strength of a million bulls - because she views it as weakness. Or in her words, "It's like I'm not even a little close to perfect, and that's so unfair because I feel like you are. And ugh, that makes me feel like I'm, like, less than you somehow and I hate that because I’m supposed to be the perfect one!”
Though her speech needs improvement, my ability to heal unfulfilled souls with the promise of a more successful life is one of my many strengths.
By the time I tune back into the “conversation,” Sophia’s no longer talking about her birthday but her new boyfriend. Though he was pre-approved, she’ll be breaking up with him soon. I was aware of Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2653623 PM Title: 16 / Copy(15): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 5 of 6 how poorly he would treat her but that was my expectation. He’s a lot like her father – discreetly controlling, apathetic, dismissive, and violent – which was the cause for her initial attraction to him. In order to discredit his proclaimed love for her, I simply remind her of how great she can be treated.
Long story short: I convinced Sofia to associate happiness and perfection with a guy that I would persuade to date her. Then, I allow him to dump her and blame it on her refusal to take greater risks, encouraging her to be a little less of a lethal bore while conveying to her how monotony can lead to loneliness. When I eventually leave her, she’ll be equipped to find the right kind of man and she will steer clear of the ones who will only ruin all that I’ve given her.
“I mean am I like so crazy that to believe that Boyfriend is wrong for using my debit card without my permission?” I cringe at the image of her singing her PIN number: 2345. She usually sings it to the tune of the famous Hunger Games whistle. “But he did say he used the money to get my birthday present at least. I mean that makes it okay, right?” I stare into her beautiful eyes and see the way they hungrily seek my approval. It invokes an ounce of fleeting pity within me.
“Babe, I’m honestly beginning to think he may not be good enough for you. I know you like him a little but that doesn’t mean you have to stay with him.”
“So what should I do? You’re not saying to break up with him, right? I mean, I know he’s not the best guy, but at least he cares about me.” Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2653623 PM Title: 16 / Copy(15): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 6 of 6
“Don’t break up with him right now. You should wait till after your birthday. If he doesn’t get you a gift worth the amount of money he stole from you, definitely break up with him.”
She won’t be getting a present. A long term, half-assed relationship is worth $1,500. I continued, “You don’t need someone like that in your life. I care about you too much to let some worthless prick destroy this.”
They’re just words, but they cause her eyes to fill with tears. It’s a little pathetic. She expects me to emulate this disgusting display of woman-to-woman expression of a valued friendship, though, so I go along with it. Like always. There are times when I ask myself if this particular game is too strenuous, if she is even worthy of my help. Then, I imagine how it feels to lose, and I know I can see this through to the end.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2653635 PM Title: 17 / Copy(16): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 3 Eyes Half Open Space Cynthia Cabral Francisco Gonzalez
She walks through the halls, with her ear buds in.
Her eyes half open, her mind half awake.
While the people around her stir about, she notices one standing out. That kid with
the look of an entangled dream, the one that she's out to see. He wears the same
look she had, Eyes half open, mind half awake.
He walks through the halls, with his ear buds in.
His eyes cold, cutting like a knife, but the slashes are in the clouds.
To her surprise, she grows fond. But she
just keeps distance away,
the face of a girl with the eyes half open, with the mind half awake.
But no one notices, she steals a glance at the
one who differs from all the rest.
After he's out of sight, but not out of mind, she returns to the indifferent girl, her eyes’ half open, and her mind half awake. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2653648 PM Title: 18 / Copy(17): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 2 My Little Baby Untitled Cynthia Cabral Francisco Gonzalez
My little baby, with the ocean in your eyes I will never leave you behind nor ever say goodbye.
My little baby, with the skin of silk Your Mommy loves you more Than all the wonders in the world.
My little baby, with hair of an entangled forest Your beautiful brightening grin Is all I've ever needed.
And as long as you are my little baby The sun will shine The birds will fly The stars will glisten in the sky.
As long as you are my sweet, little baby The wind will blow the scarecrows The grin of a snowman will never go The rainbow's rays won't shine alone
My little baby, with life in your eyes I will never leave you behind, Nor ever say goodbye.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2654603 PM Title: 19 / Copy(18): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 2 Return Momentarily Dark Bench Cynthia Cabral Val Gross
Return home and he lays asleep pushing the aromas of liquor and the heavy heart beating, you walk except it doesn't feel like walking because every step taken connects to the noise, the movement but it is too late blood shot eyes send heat across the room familiar grin yet not the one you love, it's a twisted resemblance still you stay for words to come for the foreseen eruption he stutters but with his feet and makes his way to you flinch in a moment wet kiss on your cheeks and when he pulls away identified blows push onto your face, grabs and grabs and pulls but you go with it because it will wear off and he will come back.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2654616 PM Title: 20 / Copy(19): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 3 Netflix and Chill Artificial Power Joe Campos Heily Gutierrez
Tv on, Netflix loaded, popcorn in lap, and your hand in mine. But when you ask me "what do you want to watch?" I think about our past together. I remember when we first met, you were the 'New Girl' in town, bright eyed and ready to tackle this new adventure. I was hooked on you from the start. We were both a couple of 'Freaks and Geeks', but nothing has really changed. You never really liked all those 'Trailer Park Boys', always hitting on you, trying to pick you up, but you could tell they just had 'Criminal Minds'. I remember our first date, we met my 'Friends' at 'Bob's Burgers', there was 'Wilfred', 'Dexter', 'Louie', and 'Bill Nye, you know, the science guy.' I can still picture what you wore: tight blue jeans and plain black shirt, an ordinary outfit for an extraordinary girl. No matter how much you complain about fashion trends, it doesn't matter; so what if 'Orange Is The New Black', I always thought you looked better in color. I remember how reluctant you were to date me, asking what if questions like, "What if it ends bad?" "What if you break my heart or I break yours?" I said so what, if our love story is just the next 'American Horror Story', being scared only holds us back. We can leave this town, just you and me. The grass may not be greener or the water any clearer, but 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.' Some love is like a 'House of Cards' collapsing from the slightest of breeze, but our love is like a brick house, strong, sturdy, and resilient. Still standing even after the rest have fallen. Maybe in the future when we have some kids, I can try to be the 'Family Guy' you always Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2654616 PM Title: 20 / Copy(19): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 3 of 3 wanted me to be, even though I may not be the great all 'American Dad' I will be sure to tell our kids the story of 'How I Met Your Mother'. Your fragrance alone can get me high, one whiff and my mind fills with memories while my stomach fills with butterflies. The slightest scent sends me to the 'Twilight Zone' seeing stars and 'Cosmos' feeling euphoric. I remember what it was like before you came into my life. I was 'Lost', nothing more than a 'Walking Dead' going day by day with no destination, no goals, just a mindless being. But you changed that, you brought beauty and purpose to my life and I thank you for that. So when you ask me what I want to watch, it doesn't matter, cause as long as I'm with you, anything sounds good.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2654629 PM Title: 21 / Copy(20): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 3 Throwback to Middle School Untitled Sam Caruso Heily Gutierrez
I want to go back to middle school with you So you can text me when we are in the same classroom I want to go on little dates with you to the roller rink and couple-skate to that cute Taylor Swift song Or to the pool with you for "Teen Night" but I will not get my hair wet I want to go to the local high school football games with you and act like we do not talk Then I hope you text me, say I looked pretty, but you were too nervous to say it in person I want to be in gym class with you so I can run past you giggling with my friends I want to go to the mall with you and walk around for hours without buying anything Then go to the movies with you and tell my mom I am going with friends I want to go back to middle school with you to see how ugly we were We were so weird looking, but not as weird as the girl with purple hair and side bangs Remember we used to make fun of the girl that played with the teachers' pet rat I wonder what she is like now I want to laugh at you after being forced to sing a song in front the entire class because you walked in late I want to go back to middle school so we can enjoy having no responsibilities. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2654644 PM Title: 22 / Copy(21): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 3 Friends Atticus Tala Clower Taylor Harris
Do you know that feeling? Where laughter is like breathing, So common around these people that you forget laughter is rare Until your diaphragm stops dancing And your lungs can fill up once more; Except this fullness is the kind that leaves your heart empty And makes you just want to laugh again. Just want to be curled up in the air that’s filled with their breaths again, Just want to open your eyes and see something other than a blank wall staring back at you. Want to see THEM staring back at you. Because you loved them so much that your body has to make room for that love; Has to push water from your eyes to find a home for that love. And that space inside you reserved for them keeps growing and growing, Reaching for the stars so you can contain that love. They make a hell of a lot more space in you. Do you know that feeling? The way the days run together like pain on a summer canvas, And the sorrow you felt yesterday is years away, Because you are HERE And THEY are here, And that is all that has ever mattered. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2654657 PM Title: 23 / Copy(22): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 2 Her But You Weren't Made For Tala Clower These Stars Taylor Harris Trying to stop loving her is like trying to stay awake When all my body’s been running on are crackers and caffeinated sodas, And I’m three days into a twelve-day routine of sleepless nights
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2655608 PM Title: 24 / Copy(23): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 3 Midnight The Lovers Tala Clower Taylor Harris
It’s gotten to the point at night where my music is a leftover taste of cheap food sticking to the roof of my mouth, With my head pounding out a rhythm of its own. It’s gotten to the point where my whole body is pulsing, And the beauty of the dark streets outside my shining window makes me want to burst into tears. It’s gotten to the point where all I’m doing is spitting words into my notebook, Random newspaper headlines thrown together by my tired mind, But I cant stop writing because then I STOP. It’s gotten to the point at night where everything I've ever done wrong starts to slither down my back, And I remember the scaly sickness of my past moments. But it’s also the point at night where I remember the way my dogs look at me; When I’m thinking about all the people dying, but it’s okay because my body is working the way it should. Because my veins are still blue and my temperature is 98.2 and my arm is aching from writing so much but it still WORKS. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2655621 PM Title: 25 / Copy(24): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 2 She's Still Her Daughter Cranial Council Lauren Crudele Katie Iwinski
Tears stumble down her still face, a thunderstorm of broken hearts. Scraped knees itch in agony after hitting the rugged gravel. Blood trickles from her toes as she dances on broken glass. She sobs, she yelps, she gasps and oh, She's alive.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2655632 PM Title: 26 / Copy(25): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 3 Growing up with Insomnia Graduate Marissa Dunbar Katie Iwinski
Most children cry calling their mother’s name at 3am because they had a nightmare; I called out to my mom crying because I hadn't fallen asleep yet and all I wanted to do was sleep. I was awake in my own nightmare. Early mornings were hell, sleepovers sucked, and every Christmas I was terrified Santa wouldn't come because I was still awake. I learned how to skip a night of sleep before I learned how to skip stones. I've seen more sunrises than sunsets because going to bed at 6pm hoping there was a chance I'd fall asleep early tonight was more important. The most intimidating words to me were "get a good nights sleep" because how am I supposed to be good at something that I never got a chance to practice at? "Well it’s your own fault, you won't do anything to fix it…'' I'm sorry if I don't feel like letting strangers watch me sleep and monitor me like some sort of lab rat; I'm sorry if I don't feel like having Zaleplon and Zolpidem for "dessert" everyday, and please, please forgive me for never learning how to "just relax.” I remember hearing the clock in my room, "tick, tick, tick,” counting down the seconds until I go insane. I remember being really good at counting compared to the other kids because no one else has counted as many sheep as I have. Growing up I was scared of the dark which is really ironic because you'd think I would be used to it, but you never really get used to 3 hours of sleep a night, or feeling envious of anybody who was lucky enough to be able to sleep whenever they were tired. I'm on a first name basis with the early birds and the morning fog Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2655632 PM Title: 26 / Copy(25): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 3 of 3 because I'm still awake. But I can feel it, I'm going to fall asleep soon, I know it because I can feel my eyelids reach a weight that would put a biggest loser to shame. I look in the mirror and realize I will never need to carry around a purse with me because I can fit anything I need into the bags under my eyes. I yawn more than I blink and I blink more than I talk, but I talk more than I sleep. Sleep and I are in a continuous competition, and I have still yet to win on my own; in this game you don't get points for participation, or a trophy for second place; the award for winning is sleep and right now I am still awake.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2655643 PM Title: 27 / Copy(26): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 3 Time Pedestal By Marissa Dunbar Katie Iwinski
1 o'clock, 2 o'clock, the ticking of the clock continues at a constant pace, it's the only pulse time will never kill
3 o'clock, 4 o'clock, it's ironic how you spend minutes, hours, days, waiting for time, for
time has never waited for you nor will it ever
5 o'clock, 6 o'clock, your eyes can't see it but as you sit and wait for time to pass, your
hair's getting grayer, your reflexes are getting slower, and you're becoming older
7 o'clock, 8 o'clock, you are the pilot in the flight of time, if there's a crash, you're the only
person to blame
9 o'clock, 10 o'clock, time is like a current in the ocean, it's better not to resist but to flow
with the waves
11 o'clock, 12 o'clock, how the passing of time is only an illusion because all of eternity is
taking place at once Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2655658 PM Title: 28 / Copy(27): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 3 36 inches Trying to Breathe Kristel Ebeling Hailey Jenkins
3 feet 36 inches 91.44 centimeters The length of arms when you're holding hands But, did it ever occur to you, That if you like this person enough to hold their hand, You may want to stand 1.5 feet 18 inches 45.72 centimeters Away? Why can't you stand .5 feet 6 inches 15.24 centimeters away, or even .25 feet 3 inches 7.62 centimeters? There isn't any reason to stand 3 feet 36 inches 91.44 centimeters away. If you feel the need to stand 3 feet 36 inches 91.44 centimeters away when you're holding hands, don't you think you should reconsider the equation of your relationship? Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2656616 PM Title: 29 / Copy(28): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 5 Chapter X: Ebony Untitled Kristel Ebeling Nicole Joseph
I was sitting in an old wooden chair, with a broken down desk to my right. A dusty old lamp flickered, providing all the light it could. It didn’t illuminate the peeling paint, but gave off an odd yellow glow. The room was as dark as my mood, which came from being stuck in the same room day in and day out. Only one of us really goes outside the room, and I’ve always been stuck in here since we began dancing in the big studio. The door creaked open, and I blinked at the white light, blocked only by Angel’s shadow. She was the only other person in this mind-space with me. She had perfect blonde ringlets, with a tiny gold circlet that, to me, was her halo. Her fluffy white wings shimmered under the light, while her white dress billowed around her legs. She gestured toward the empty studio, “I’ll go dance again in a minute,” while she moved to sit on the old desk, which creaked in protest. “Is Claire having a rough day?” I asked, in reference to our human. “Our human” is the one we occupy the mind-space for, and in doing so, we influence her emotions. Angel makes her happy, and I make her, well…. anything but. “It seems more in your department than mine today,” Angel admitted, “but I’ll make it alright. She finds happiness in helping her classmates, if nothing else.” “Yeah. That’s definitely better than her being annoyed at their stupidity,” I said, “or mad because her teacher thinks she’s an idiot.” “Claire’s always ahead in the Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2656616 PM Title: 29 / Copy(28): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 3 of 5 reading because someone in the “likes” department of her brain decided she likes reading. While that makes her ahead, she also has been given “helping others” in the “like” category. So, now she does both.” Angel paused, “Is what we’re doing right now, leaving you in here all the time, right for her?” “We decided six years ago,” I reminded her, “that she would be happy with everything at school and at home, for a long time. That means you keep up the dances until the summertime at least.” “To not feel pain or sadness at all… you may not be able to come back in here after your first performance because she won’t know how to say enough is enough,” Angel seemed really uncomfortable about it, “That would make her life worse.” “We don’t want that to happen now, when she’s only eleven. We can wait until she’s older to experiment with my dances.” I stood up and walked to be right in front of Angel, and gestured to the room, “I might not like this dingy place, but Claire isn’t ready for a role-swap.” “We might have to switch, sooner than you think, Ebony,” Angel looked at me with tears in her eyes, “I only have one more dance.” “Only one?” I sunk down onto the desk beside her. Each dance can only be used once, or we risk destroying Claire’s memories. When we run out, we have to take a break for a while in order to make more. That takes at least two weeks of human time to create enough to last for about a year of human time. “We can’t leave her in an unfeeling void.” “It’s better to have her anything else but happy, rather than unfeeling.” “Yeah, but should I be running her life for any period of time, Angel? I mean, Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2656616 PM Title: 29 / Copy(28): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 4 of 5 just look at me!” I don’t blame her for not; in all the ways she’s pretty and put together, I’m not. “I’m the furthest from ideal at this point in her life!” “My last dance may last a couple of days, “ Angel said quietly, “but she would be an unfeeling void for eleven days. In those eleven days, she could drag you out unknowingly. At least now we can plan.” “Plan what?” How could we plan something unpredictable? “There’s no easy switch.” “Maybe we could both dance tomorrow,” she said slowly, wringing her hands, “and it might help her transition from one to the other. The switch would mean I’d have the time to make new dances, and then we could dance together to transition back.” “We don’t know if we could transition back!” I nearly shouted, “I’ve never been out before, and she might not be able to handle any kind of switch!” “What would be worse for her? Being an unfeeling void, or having you for an extended period of time?” Angel asked, not waiting for an answer. “We discussed that after elementary school, you’d come out. She’s heading into middle school now, so you should be coming out soon anyway. Summer vacation starts tomorrow.” “Changing her in the summer though, when there is nothing to resist the sadness…” “...Could weaken her more, but she has all of her summer plans. All of her friends she plans to see, all the places she’ll go.” Angel pointed out. “In some ways, it may be the best time to switch. No teachers to annoy her, and rude classmates.” “True…” I paused to think about Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2656616 PM Title: 29 / Copy(28): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 5 of 5 what she said, “...but now she has her little brother, and her mother will ask her to do things, to which she would get rebellious.” “There’s no good time to do this. There will always be reasons to do it, and reasons not to.” Angel shook her head. “We need to decide, and fast.” I looked at Angel. She really didn’t want Claire to be an unfeeling void, and neither did I, but the unfeeling void seemed better than making her first weeks of summer vacation a totally different Claire. The unfeeling void would scar her, making the studio we have built, collapse a little, which would get worse over time. Permanent damage. Unchangeable. At least the few weeks could be forgotten over time, but that comes with the risk of trapping me in the studio, thus changing everything about her. Angel wasn’t saying anything, but I knew she wanted me to go out. I didn’t want to go out, but I knew Angel would be more nervous if I didn’t. “Alright,” I sighed, “Let’s try it, but we’ll both go out tomorrow. It may be the easiest way to do this.” She visibly relaxed. I said what she wanted to hear, even if I still didn’t agree with myself. My brain told me it was the right decision for Claire’s sake, but my heart told me something was going to go horribly wrong.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2656636 PM Title: 30 / Copy(29): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 3 I’d Through The Trees Kristel Ebeling Haley Kamradt
Hear their hurtful words, calling you worthless Cry away your pain, for you won't cry those tears Crawl into your brain, into the very center of your being because I need to tell you You are special to me.
Fly the farthest distance, to see your sparkling eyes Sneak into For Knox, to see your beautiful smile Swim to the deepest depths, and pull you back to the surface, for even with all the wonders on this planet, The world still needs a "you". Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2656652 PM Title: 31 / Copy(30): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 3 Parallels Moped Tori Glaza Clay Kepuraitis
The pain inside exposes me to the light It intensifies as we meet in this world that exploits all my feelings I am happy but sad I know my surroundings but I’m still lost I am remembered and forgotten I am loved and then hated In a world that I am stepped on and ignored like cement I pray for the shadows to come into this dark and broken world It is here that my tears vanish and my heart gets overheard Only when the light begins to fade do I let my eyes swell and begin to rain And as the evening welcomes the dark, I welcome the shadows as I accept my fate in the darkness When my eyes close I try to escape I long for a world where emotions are a truth and my cries are all heard I want to be eternally loved I want to be eternally happy I want a world where my feelings are felt and I can live forever It would be my heaven and hell Only light would radiate through me A world where my dreams are made reality and reality is just a dream. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2657607 PM Title: 31a / Copy(31): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 3 Dear Mom… Dystopia Tori Glaza Hasnain Khundmiri
Dear Mom, Thank you. Without you I wouldn’t be where I am -- standing alone, fighting a battle against no one but myself. You left me, Stranded. Was it because you didn’t want me? Was it because you didn’t love me? Or was it because you didn’t care… Didn’t want to be my mother… Didn’t think you could do it? Whatever the reason is, Thank you. And I thank you for when I’d come over and you drank all night and day… Maybe hoping for me to disappear or maybe solving your problems while I was around. I was a burden to you, but thank you. Dear Mom. Thank you for the days you came home drunk and dad threw you across the floor and watched as he hit Nick and me for crying in fear. Now I sit and sleep afraid that one day it will happen again. That I will love someone like you, like him. Now I guard my heart from love Because how can I love if I don’t know what love is? So thank you for the lessons you taught me… For the lessons I taught myself. And for all the mistakes you made. I thank you. I will be stronger because of you. And I thank you once again because you left me in a house that was not my home, A world where I was alone, Scared to live in a place where people’s hearts are stone, But I thank you. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2657607 PM Title: 31a / Copy(31): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 3 of 3 I learned to fight my own I grew up fast without you and taught myself the way.
But don’t be fooled, I miss you, Mom.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2657620 PM Title: 32 / Copy(32): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 2 The Brush Exposure To Life Samy Gonzalez Hasnain Khundmiri
Her hand fluttered like a butterfly She no longer was a girl but a brush The brush was focused Not missing one stroke Every mark became its own work of art The contrast between ivory and charcoal Between burlap and chocolate She was a brush
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2657632 PM Title: 33 / Copy(33): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 3 Questions Snuggles Samy Gonzalez Kristina Ladonski
I remember her sitting on the ground, holding the hard candy between her teeth. The heart-shaped candy fit perfectly between her lips … I resisted. She looked at me like as if to say, "Kiss me fruitcake." I leaned in, but she turned her head. I grabbed her ankle tight and pulled her in. It was like the last stroke of highlight that brings a painting together. At the same time it still wasn't quite finished… there were still white marks all around them, questions unanswered. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2657643 PM Title: 34 / Copy(34): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 4 Character Sketch Oppression Of Woman Taylor Harris Megan Lieberenz
He was a restless creature, perhaps the most restless she had ever seen in her years. His movements were relentless, consisting of twitching fingers and shifting eyes with every word he spoke. Chaos embodied in a 4’2” frame.
She had to face the parents about it, of course; it was the bane of every good teacher’s helping hand to deliver a blow upon their fragile pride. Your son is disruptive. A simple enough message, o n e backed up by the rhythmic drumming of his fingers on the desktop and huffing that was only matched by that of his father.
“That’s ridiculous. Hunter is an angel, he’s our angel.” The mother began while her son began to spin around absentmindedly in his seat. “Just because you can’t handle a little boy trying to have some fun in his life doesn’t mean he’s doing something wrong.”
They were that type.
“Your son can’t focus in class, ma’am. He won’t sit in his seat when I ask him to, won’t stop talking in the middle of a lesson, runs around the classroom, must I go on?”
“That’s mean, you’re being mean.” The young boy muttered, eyes not meeting the gaze of his teacher’s even while his forefingers continued their endless drumming. He wouldn’t look at her but bounced in his seat and seemed to take an interest in surveying every aspect of the room. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 2657643 PM Title: 34 / Copy(34): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 3 of 4
“Have you considered that your son may have an attention disorder?” That triggered something malicious within the parents, and they stood up.
“Don’t even start on saying that there’s something wrong with him. We’re done here.” His father shot quickly as he grabbed his twitching, bouncing son by the forearm and pulled him towards the door. “I’m sure you can manage.”
At the words, Hunter quickly broke free and began running down the halls, extending arms outwards and making the noises of a plane as he headed towards the door. She watched him go and sighed. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3611636 PM Title: 35 / Copy(35): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 3 Skeptics Hymnal Sky Cat Taylor Harris Deven Majcan
I wear skepticism as a rancid suit of armor Built from tinfoil and plastic A forlorn shield for a begotten son of perdition Against the stiff hand of revelation.
And it is the distance between Warm bodies and ever-mirthful words The shifting of eyes that comes with forced laughter The silence that hangs in the air after murmured goodbyes
And it is the taste on the lips of man With eyes peeled to the skies Towards the vast and endless seas of Europa Supposedly teeming with life beneath its icy crust
And to the dim and distant stars And the swirling galaxies beyond them Questioning the sanctity of Just how alone he is in the universe?
( and too afraid to wish upon an answer. ) Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3611650 PM Title: 36 / Copy(36): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 5 Untitled 1 Stand Out Taylor Harris Diana Manterola
A few thoughts on having ADD and an anxiety disorder Because I found out that the two of them Are so fond of wrapping themselves in each others Brittle arms like brambles Laying their roots in Red veins that run rancid With the rushed fidget of fretful fingernails That have no choice but to stretch towards The unseen only God to which I hail Who grabs hold of a disquieted mind filled With the buzz the thud of Liberosis that controls my body
To my uncle to tells me with teeth Like rows of crooked tombstones The blasphemy of a fake illness created In the enervated heads of the hated And lackadaisical who cannot take responsibility For their own actions But he does not know how The child of his sister Cannot keep eyes focused on paper without the words in front of them Melting and dancing into each other Incoherent muddle of what I cannot comprehend because I Cannot focus Impenetrable soulless poet floating through thick waters that muddled and slaughtered the Words I wanted to show you Wanted you to hear me speak Because Icould not keep them From slipping through the cracks in my Thoughts lost in the Abyss of kenopsia kindling inky blackness Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3611650 PM Title: 36 / Copy(36): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 3 of 5 I promise you I tried to find them But the search party gave up hours ago so I just Sit in silence, waiting Maybe they just melted into the Anxiety like electricity up my arms Because somewhere in the bleak and Bitter forest that grew inside my skull there is a Voice that whispered from the branches and told me I can't.
For my baby brother Who pounds fists against his skull until his knuckles are crimson Only 11 years old but he already tells me he Wants his life to end because He too received the disease that grew inside him The doubt carved into his veins That cuts him from the inside out Who can no longer go to school because He can't hold inside him the Screams that want to escape through bleeding lips of the endless frustration of a mind that poisons itself Words that meld together and voices that Scream at him with blistered lungs That can't. That he is not good enough. Defective. To my sister who cuts him With her words driven by anger and impulse Calls him freak for the pills he swallows To carry himself through his therapy sessions And the same words echoed through his bubbling sobs When he clings to me and asks why There is no one like him Why he can't go to his classes Why he was born with pieces missing I'm sorry. Sorry that the world told you a lie that Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3611650 PM Title: 36 / Copy(36): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 4 of 5 The only diseases that matters are the ones you can See from the outside that Attention deficit disorder can he considered a Mental disability but your teachers will still ask if you're making it up For sympathy, for special treatment in your classes That anxiety disorder is just the product of a generation hooked on their own entitlement Sorry I was gifted with the genes of my mother with A brain inside my skull where one half screams at the other That it's crying, dying inside me That every word I write in this poem is like trudging over Stagnant plains of honey Tedious, because I know I won't even be able to perform it Without first having to convince the sick part of my brain That it won't kill me in the process of Forcing words through lips that will do Just anything to stop it so yes, Uncle, I admit it. It's all in my head. And I'm sorry you think that means It's not something I dread Unreal feeling beating against the side of my thoughts I'm sorry, Wishing star optimist only wishing to prove to me your own self-righteous mindset I'm not asking for validation So kindly Keep my mental illness off of your lips Sorry. Not sorry. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612610 PM Title: 37 / Copy(37): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 11 Untitled 2 Untitled Taylor Harris Patrick Mikel
Humanity loves a good tragedy. It always gives them the chance to prove their nobility, the Christian soul beneath their brittle bones. Lead them to the pearly gates. So it was when I had lost my boy, the tragedy of it. I'd lost Nathan to the murk and the shit of the black swamp waters. Little red boots pattering away out into the land of the Sticks without a care, without a worry.
Local police got involved when the clementine glow of the setting sun began to dip below the tree line and lay itself over the surface of the black waters, and he was not returned. The calm, hushed cadence of the wood unyielding to any sign, no matter how they may press it for answers. Their yellow tape had gone up, dogs breaking the silence of the Sticks with their pursuit of absolutely nothing of interest, the questions thudding against my skull. All the racket in a small town that attracts the attention of the simple folk, their heads peering out their doorframes and their pace slowed as they passed. Their voices dropped into a whisper. They were only flies on my skin while I blackened the earth with her grief.
The prayers started around the same time the sightings did, as quickly as it took news to spread. First report said they saw a boy hand in hand with a man at the second gas station on the side of 43, conveniently not caught on their cameras. "Must be out," the teenage girl with some cheap glitter gloss on her lips and the furrows of acne on her skin who'd filed the Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612610 PM Title: 37 / Copy(37): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 3 of 11 report explained, bubblegum caught between her teeth. "My manager never changes the batteries in 'em. He's a jackass. Sony." Jackass was, of course, not available for a statement.
Second one was some lonesome, bearded trucker saying he'd passed a "suspicious white van" driving away in that direction. When asked why it was "suspicious" he'd only muttered, the whiskers on his lip shifting the crumbs embedded within them.
"You know, suspicious. Gave me a real bad feelin'. Didn't feel right..."
They nodded, pretending to know. They didn’t know.
Third one was about a large suitcase ditched on the side of the highway. They'd investigate, soon as possible.
By then the prayers seemed more an endless drone than a testament to hope, same as the flies that whispered through the windows at night while she lay with eyes wide open towards the stars. Same as the crack of twigs and the pattering of little red boots over the moist earth I swore I could sometimes hear coming towards the house. Not that I'd mention that to the neighbors that stopped by periodically to infect me with their hopeful words, take a hand in their own and looked real deep into my eyes. I'd taken up the habit of looking at how their pupils widened and contracted with every word, following the veins and the signs of cataracts. It was a little game for my numbness to play as they spit their empty condolences. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612610 PM Title: 37 / Copy(37): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 4 of 11 I had two secrets. The first one was a simple fact. I wished my son were dead. Dead was far better than any reality he faced.
The second secret was the location of my baby boy.
It would have been better had he not come back, his footsteps breaking through the tree line and over the soft, black soil. My husband had been in the same position since our boy had vanished, and before then. Beer can clutched between his fingers and his ass planted firmly on the sofa, as motionless as some pathetic eternal flame until he decided to falter in his apathy and demand retribution on my bones. The bruises that bloomed along my cheek fading with the dusk of the new era, even after he'd slurred something about having to "spend some time away,” before slamming the door behind him to leave me to the empty house and to the paralyzation of despair. So was my company through the darkness. The noises I heard through the night air once more, this time so conveniently alone, footsteps tracing along the edge of the property and into the endless fog of the night air, eyes on the back of my skull. Nights began to fill with a single, solitary thought bouncing inside the cavity of my mind. There's something out there.
Irrational and pathetic a thought as it may be to any woman in my position; it remained, filling my bones with danger and dread. I hadn't known where the thought had first come from, at first, the paranoia that followed the idea that whoever had snatched my boy from me would return to finish their work, perhaps. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612610 PM Title: 37 / Copy(37): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 5 of 11 The apathy that surrounded me in the emptiness of the home did not bring me an ounce of solace. But something whispered to me (it was coming) in the wind that shook the branches and crashed the old shutter against the side of the house, not a threat nor a warning as much as with the simplicity of a fact.
The sudden knock made me jump.
My bones remaining frozen in place as it reverberated, eyes wide as they glanced toward the nearest clock. 1:34am.
Part of me had considered the idea of having imagined it, the knocking on the panels of the wood obviously requesting an entry. But it came once more, light and quick as it tapped against, its sound echoing through the emptiness of the house as I caught glimpse of the form of a figure glimpsing through the window nearest to it. Something screamed out for me to stop, but I still felt her footsteps carrying her towards the entryway, the thought of bad news from the investigation flitting through thoughts. And I felt a hand lay itself against the cold metal of the doorknob, hesitating only a moment to consider the rashness of its actions before throwing open the entry and letting in the suffocating chill of the night air in glorious revelation.
It was the tiny, silent figure of Nathan. My baby boy.
And he was waiting for me.
Shock is what originally gripped me, lips parting and lungs unable to grasp the correlation between my missing son standing before me and the necessity of Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612610 PM Title: 37 / Copy(37): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 6 of 11 oxygen, my figure unmoving in the doorway. Then it was relief, flooding my body like the tears streaming down my face as I'd gripped him in embrace, limbs shaking with every sob as I pulled his body close, drunk on the smell of his hair and the irreplaceable love in my heavy chest. I sat, listening to the slow beat of his heart as I pulled him tighter, logic thrown out the window with the joy that pulled me further and further from the ground beneath my feet. Home home home. He was returned. He was alive. Anything else was white noise on my TV screen.
A minute or an hour later I released him from her grip, eyes still reddened with the flood of emotion that had been released, fingers trembling. I studied him, the curve of his cheek hollowed since she had last lay eyes on it, eyes darkened in the shadow cast by porch light. And he said nothing. No words for a prodigal son returned to me, only the endless, steady gaze upon my figure.
"Where were you, darling? Where'd you come from?" My words begged an answer, a hand running itself softly through the light wisps of his hair. "Nathan?”
His lips seemed to move almost slightly as I watched them, as if consideration of an answer lie on them that could not escape. Or perhaps it was only the movement of his tongue behind his lips, running over teeth. The idea surprised me, its presence so unanticipated, so wrong. I didn't know where it had come from, and I quickly pushed it aside.
"I'm hungry, mommy,” snapped me back Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612610 PM Title: 37 / Copy(37): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 7 of 11 out of thought and to the boy in front of me, as I nodded quickly in acknowledgement.
"Yes, yes. Let's get you some food then, sweetheart. Anything you want, anything..." I took him by the hand and led him inside, seating him, still motionless, on the couch. He hadn't responded in answer to just what he wanted; only shrugged slightly in apathy. So I quickly pulled down a blue box of mac n' cheese, his favorite, glancing over my shoulder every few moments to where he sat as I prepared it.
It had occurred to me to call the police, of course. From the moment that I had released him from her grasp and reality had set in. But I knew that would mean the sound of sirens pulling up the driveway, the questions, them pulling him away from me to be poked and prodded and quizzed. It may have been stupid, selfish, shameful, but I wanted this to last only if for a few moments, if not for his sake then for mine. I wanted to relish the joy that flooded my veins and clouded my thoughts, to feel that relief that rushed over me seep into my tired bones. It made things seem even more than normal.
Joy made me blind, and I loved it.
My hand went against his forehead. "Are you feeling well, dear? You don't look too good." I forced my tone to remain light, as not to alert him of my concerns.
“'m fine."
"You sure?" Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612610 PM Title: 37 / Copy(37): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 8 of 11 "Yes."
It was more blunt than I had expected, and my hand withdrew.
"...Well, I'm going to have to call the officers now, Nathan. They've been looking all over for you, and they'll be very happy to know you're ok. They'll probably want to ask you some-"
"Don't." I stopped, my heart thumping in my chest. It wasn't a request; it was an order from him. Don't.
"Why- why wouldn't I? Would you like to... to talk to me about just- where you've been?"
"Gone."
"Gone where?"
"In the swamps. Under the waters. The trees. The whispers."
My voice was frozen in my throat, frigid and shivering. Shaking words forming on my lips, one hand extending towards the child. "The- whispers?"
"Yes."
"Can you ... can you tell me more?”
"Oh, don't worry. They're coming here next. You'll see."
That was it. That was my breaking point. I wasn't about to put up with whatever little game he thought he was playing, whatever enjoyment he was getting out of it. "That's not funny, Nathan." Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612610 PM Title: 37 / Copy(37): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 9 of 11 "I'm not trying to be funny. You wanna hear a joke? Knock knock."
"Nathan-"
"Knock knock.”
"Nathan!"
"Knock knock."
And as if on cue, the sound of knuckles on the wood of the door resonated through the house like some sick punch line. I could feel my blood turning to ice in my veins, something in my skull screaming out. And, despite the ridiculousness of the situation, despite reason, I gripped him by the arm. And words finally formed harsh on my lips.
"Who is that?" It was the wrong question for any sensible person in my situation, but it was the first to come to my thoughts.
"Told you."
It was only now that my eyes began to see anything but my lost boy, anything but my sweet and beautiful boy. See the veins that traced over his tiny limbs, over the stretched skin of his features. The icy glaze over his eyes.
"I like it there with them. And they want you too. The branches want you. They whisper."
A noise like the whine of a passing jet plane shook decrepit shutters, into the depths of my skull with its slow ascent into my thoughts. I couldn't make eyes focus on my son, what should be my son, as they reddened and streamed with the Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612610 PM Title: 37 / Copy(37): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 10 of 11 increase of the pitched scream, something black seeping from between his delicate lips. And then the bulb cracked, and died.
And then there was darkness.
The fair folk still pay their dues. They still come ‘round to give their respects, their condolences. It's been a number of weeks now; a number most would have been able to pull from the top of their thoughts. A number like that would keep most up at night. Any good mother would be kept up.
Good, nor mother, I am not.
I hear them now, the whispers. The good people are starting to pick up on it now too, pointing out hollowed eyes and sideways glances. All while they give a sad pat on a shoulder and a few words of hope, tell me I'll see my son again. Someday.
But I know exactly where my son is. I know that there's a padlock on the shed out back, and a key to it clutched between my fingers, as the skin of my knuckles is stretched taught. And I knew what's inside, how the sound of its howls seeps in through the walls and reverberates against the side of my skull. I know.
I know that no matter how it scratches against the walls, how it screams its blasphemies, how its eyes roll in its skull, I can do nothing but keep it locked nicely inside the room 30 feet from where I sleep at night. I know because it bears my son's face.
Even though they'd called me two weeks ago to tell me they found enough of his Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612610 PM Title: 37 / Copy(37): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 11 of 11 blood in a suitcase ditched on route 27 to have killed my son twice.
Leaving me with only the question I hear whispered from the branches, darkness swirling inky black in my thoughts.
What is locked in my shed?
And why does it know my name?
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612622 PM Title: 38 / Copy(38): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 2 Crown of Thorns Untitled Jesse Johnson Eric Mikuki
The heart aches as if the skin has touched boiling water. The cries of the child pierce the ear of a struggling mother. The father has moved on with the daughter. Leaving his old love, and New son in the frigid cold that bites the skin.
The mother is fearful about the world that will consume her child Knowing the evil that is out there. She is skeptical about the angels around that help, but grateful for the demons that are not.
The child made of clay, will eventually crack against the obstacles, showing The light that peers through the brokenness. Shining through the scars that remain forever.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612633 PM Title: 39 / Copy(39): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 3 We Are Strangers Cracked Concrete Emily Kates Sydney Nasternak
This is not how things happened. It is not about how we drifted away. It is about how we met. We met when I was worn down, discouraged from the world and myself. When I felt so low about myself I couldn't function without us and shipped out. I thought I could make it through without help and I d id. But little have I known that you were going to shift the problem's focus on you. Your breathing was enticing. Your posture made me draw closer to you and made me want to pin you down to the floor, as you physically used to give me butterflies. I wanted to hold you, like you held me. You wanted me to leave but then you did not want me to go. I am that old toy on the shelf that you never wanted to play with again but then you look at me and you realize that you had a memory with me. You curl your nose, you turn around, you realized that this girl could have given you everything you've ever wanted and you walked away from her like she is a Kevin Arnold to your Winn ie Cooper. Except you're more of the Kirk McCray types of men. I would imagine how you would be there when I'm crying 1000 tears, waiting for me to be ready. You left. Like a thought in the wind, you lef t. I got caught up in the paranoia, and the stress of the could've, would've, and should've. What was I thinking? I could've not fallen for your trap, o r not thought that you would be like the rest. But you are. The boy who took my heart and ran off with it. I think the whole situation was stupid. It was both our faults. I am not your puppet, I 'm not the girl that you claim as "thirsty” or "desperate". I am the girl who is doing Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612633 PM Title: 39 / Copy(39): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 3 of 3 without you by my side. The girl who has twice the backbone you had. As you are the only wolf harvesting the weak deer in the forest, I am the owner of my own pack. The powerful strength, the girl that you will never have again. Foolish you were, trying to walk over me like a carpet. Little did you know that I am magic, flying off to better places than you will ever put your feet on. I am the girl that does not need you to be happy.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612644 PM Title: 40 / Copy(40): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 3 Gone A Textured Painting Amber Lorens Gissell Ocampo
Your eyes are drifting closed It no longer feels like you can keep them open Harder than the time you stayed up until 7am And had to be at school that same day Your mind meandering back to your life Wondering if you've left an impact Back to the time you first learned how to tie your shoe Back to your first kiss Struggling for breath then Struggling for breath now Begging for each shaky breath not to be your last Praying to be saved Pleading not to leave this earth Requesting another chance Gripping the hand that loves you the most
Wishing you got to say goodbye to more people The tears are streaming down your face Like the rain trickling down a window Your heart is slowing its pace yearning To give you extra time But it cannot be received Memories flooding All trying to be remembered one last time One last time before they are forgotten forever And your eyes are closing And your hand is losing strength Your tired eyes are the only thing capturing Until you take that last breath And the eyes are no more visible You are gone
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612655 PM Title: 41 / Copy(41): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 10 The Bonfire Cold Gabby Alexis Melvin Aaron Pedro
I guess you could say that I was a "good girl". A fun evening for me was watching a Netflix movie as I devoured a tub of Rocky Road ice cream in the comfort of my bed. While other teenagers snuck out in search of a party, I kept to myself. Anyone that I knew would tell you that I was a bit antisocial but I was okay with that. I didn't need to be surrounded by obnoxious kids who couldn't comprehend the consequences of their actions. So, instead of being the outcast in a room full of sweaty, intoxicated minors, I stayed home.
During the day, school was my main priority. Unlike the rest of the student body, I spent my lunch period tucked away at the back of the library with my head buried in a history textbook. While I was busy maintaining my 3.92 GPA, the other girls whispered hook-up stories to each other in the middle of study hall. I always felt the need to dramatically plug in my headphones and drown them out with the significantly more meaningful lyrics of my favorite bands.
Of course, I had been labeled as the girl with the stick up her ass by the time junior year rolled around. It wasn't my fault that they didn't set goals for themselves. Who could blame me for actually caring about my future? Maybe if they spent half as much time studying or doing some volunteer work as they did gossiping about the quarterback and his girlfriend, they could see it my way. And of all people, I thought my best friend, Brielle, would understand. But she was just like Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612655 PM Title: 41 / Copy(41): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 3 of 10 the rest of them.
However, Brielle wasn't always a follower. At one point, she was a lot like me. She used to spend countless hours on pre-calculus homework because she couldn't afford to lose a scholarship to Georgetown or UPenn. And whenever she spent the night,she would whisper on and on about her dream of graduating from Harvard Law School and becoming a human rights attorney when we were supposed to be asleep. There was a time when she and I used to make fun of girls like Gianna Brown who skipped first period to put their faces on in the girl's bathroom just to attract senior boys. Sadly, the girls like her ended up 16 and pregnant. But Brielle and I vowed to never be like them.
Unfortunately, that only lasted until the middle of sophomore year. I started to notice little things like how she would "forget" to do her English homework and would arrive later and later to class everyday. Each day, she piled on another pound of makeup. It was like her entire image was dissolving right in front of me. I soon came to find out that she and Gianna Brown were growing closer. At first, I didn't mind it so much. It wasn't until she was caught smoking marijuana at the local park in the middle of the night that I was concerned. It was like she had changed from one day to the next. Me trying to play my role as her best friend, I tried talking some sense into her. But of course, she just told me that she was "living in the moment." Who was I to stop her? Little did I know that I would soon find myself falling into her traps.
"We're not even supposed to be here." I Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612655 PM Title: 41 / Copy(41): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 4 of 10 looked over my right shoulder to make sure no one had an eye on us. Brielle had a tight grip on my upper arm as she dragged me farther down the sand. The overly-excited girl acted as if she didn't hear me. The thought of getting caught sneaking onto the beach after midnight made my stomach tum. Derrick Schroeder, our school's quarterback had just gotten kicked off the team after being spotted on the boardwalk with his significantly older girlfriend. So, I knew that if we were seen, Mock Trial was a gonner.
Suddenly, the smell of firewood invaded my nostrils and I could see small flames in the distance. "Okay, can you please tell me what's going on?" I snatched my arm away from her, refusing to go any farther without an explanation. Brielle threw her head back, her auburn-dyed curls bouncing. She sighed dramatically.
"It's just a bonfire," she assured me with a forced smile. My eyebrows raised in question. The last time Brielle invited me somewhere, we ended up sprinting away from the police. The last thing I needed was a criminal record. "Stop being such a baby, Avani," she groaned as she started making her way toward the fire. I was tempted to turn around and run back to the car but I found myself following her once again.
I trailed behind her with my shoulders slouched as she skipped toward a crowd of teenagers sitting Indian-style around the fire. I could hear their roaring laughter from 100 feet away. As we moved closer and their figures grew larger, I could make out their faces; they were unfamiliar. My heart started to pound against my chest Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612655 PM Title: 41 / Copy(41): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 5 of 10 so quickly that I was sure that it would go into overdrive and burst. But unfortunately, it didn't... there was no way out of this.
The kids were dark. Every article of clothing they wore from their shoes up to their faces were black. But it wasn't just their clothes that were dark. It was like a dark cloud draped over them. Or maybe it was just the rising smoke from the cigarettes burning between their fingers. As we neared them, I held my breath; the smell of nicotine always made me nauseous.
"Everyone, this is my best friend, Avani." Brielle nodded her head in my direction. I forced a smile, trying to avoid coming off as rude. But by the blank looks on their faces, I doubt that I delivered it the right way. The group of boys and girls chuckledand continued on with their night. I felt my cheeks burn and I was sure that they were now bright crimson.
I took a seat beside Brielle. She was handed a cigarette by the blonde girl on the opposite side of her. I watched Brielle gladly accept it while my stomach turned. I was tempted to step in and deny it for her but it wasn't my place. And I didn't need these kids to hate me any more than they already did. The last thing I needed was to get on their bad side. Who knew what they were capable of?
"You want one?" The blonde held out her hand, a lit cigarette between her fingers. The rest of the kids fell silent. All eyes were now on me. I opened my mouth to speak but I couldn't find words. Of all people, I expected Brielle to step in. Instead, she watched with the rest of Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612655 PM Title: 41 / Copy(41): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 6 of 10 them. The blonde's lips formed a smile as the rest of the kids laughed. She retracted her hand. I thought I saw her wink at me but maybe I was just seeing things at this point.
"I-I'II be right back." I excused myself even though no one was listening. I guess I wanted to pretend like they cared about what I had to say. I was so used to being ignored that I often made myself believe that what I had to say was important.
As I stood up, there was a pair of eyes on me. They belonged to a guy sitting directly across from me. Judging by his features, he was maybe two or three years older than Brielle and me. Uncomfortably, I stood up and tip-toed away. I made my way back the way Brielle and I came. It took nearly everything in me not to go home. But I knew Brielle would hate me forever if I did. So, I took a seat near the shoreline.
Looking out at the ocean calmed my nerves. My stomach stopped turning, my palms stopped sweating and I was finally able to get my mind off of school and the groupof juvenile delinquents that were just 100 feet away. Unfortunately it didn’t last too long. There was a shadow emerging behind me. I twisted to see the guy from the bonfire standing behind me. I took a deep breath, my chest rising and falling. "Can I help you?" I asked.
"You're not gonna sit here all night are you?" He took a seat beside me. I kept my eyes on the sand, silently hoping that if I avoided making sudden movements, he would leave without protest. But I remembered that human beings don't operate that way. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612655 PM Title: 41 / Copy(41): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 7 of 10
"I might." I shrugged my shoulders acting as if his presence didn't bother me.
"Because it makes sense to come all the way out here to sit by yourself." His tone was coated in sarcasm. I finally turned my head to look at the annoying boy just to find an arrogant smirk across his tan face. I made sure to make my eyes roll obviously. His chuckle was barely noticeable.
"I like being alone." I quickly broke eye contact with him in hopes to appear uninterested in anything else he had to say. In doing so, I spotted a small seashell beside my foot. I reached forward, picking it up. It was a dull purple, like the color had faded away overtime. I pretended to examine the shell even though I couldn't have cared less about it. But I pretended to subconsciously twirl it between my thumb and index finger as I turned my attention back to the ocean. "I didn't want to be here anyway."
"Really? But you're such a social butterfly," he laughed again.
"Unlike you guys, I can't afford to get caught out here." That came out a little harsher than I intended it to but I couldn't take it back. My stomach knotted while I waited for his response. For some reason, I was afraid. Not afraid of him, but afraid of what he might say to me.
"Then why don't you leave?" His exasperating grin faded away as he suddenly got serious. I pressed my lips into a straight line. I'd been asking myself the same question since I arrived. It would have been easy to turn around and go Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612655 PM Title: 41 / Copy(41): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 8 of 10 home but I felt a sense of loyalty to Brielle.
"Brielle dragged me out here. I'm just trying to be a good friend." I stuffed the seashell into the pocket of my jeans, no longer feeling the need to pretend like I was interested in it. By the way he folded his legs and rubbed the sand from his hands, it was clear that he wasn't leaving any time soon.
"That's a good excuse." He nodded his head and gave me a toothy grin. I couldn't help but be taken aback by his unbelievably inconsiderate personality.
"Excuse me?'' I folded my arms across my chest, feeling my shoulders tense up. Sure, I was a little defensive but who wouldn't be if a stranger was calling you a liar?
"I don't think that's the whole story, Sweetheart."
"Don't call me that; I barely know you."
"But you know I'm right. You're not out here for her. You're out here because you want to be." He took hold of the beer bottle beside him and used the key chain attached to his belt loop to pop the cap. I kept quiet as I watched him take several gulps. The urge to deny his claim was strong but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
"It's okay, I've been there before."
"Don't act like you can relate to me," I spat. There was no way in hell that he of all people could possibly understand how I felt. It was evident that this was where he belonged -- with the delinquents that Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3612655 PM Title: 41 / Copy(41): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 9 of 10 had nothing to lose. Everything about him screamed bad news!
"I'm not the one acting." He smirked. "You don't have to be tense all the time. It's okay to loosen up every once in awhile."
"Breaking the law isn't exactly my definition of loosening up... or anything that'll kill my brain cells."
"I'm not gonna' force you to do anything, but whenever you're ready to have some fun, let me know." He sat the bottle down between us. The silence was daunting. I stole glances at the bottle but tried not to make them noticeable. If he knew what I was thinking, he would just say 'I told you so.' I turned my head toward the kids surrounding the bonfire. Even though they knew what they were doing was wrong, they weren't worried. In a way, it seemed like that's what made it worth it for them. They were young and reckless; something that a small part of me always wanted to be. However, I wasn't sure if this was the right way to go about it. "Ball's in your court.''
Without any more hesitation, I snatched the bottle from the ground. I closed my eyes while I took my first-ever taste of alcohol. I felt the bitter liquid rush down my throat, making my nose scrunch in disgust. I handed the bottle over after using the back of my hand to wipe away the moisture on my lips. He had a wide grin on his face as he held out his arm. I pursed my lips as I shook his hand. "I'm Vince." He introduced.
"Avani." Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613614 PM Title: 42 / Copy(42): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 2 The People I am From Deathly Hallows Alexis Melvin Eric Perez
Loud chatter and rolling “R”s Drown out Caribbean drums. Hips sway to the celebration of life, Consuming time. Aromatic Arroz con Gandules Engulfs my senses.
Coconut bells ring, summoning urban life. Parents rush from bodegas With beaded Maltas and platano chips To watch their children run makeshift bases, In community patches.
From humble beginnings comes Latin pride. Raising our once illegal flag, we keep our heads held high As we continue to be chained by colonialism To fight for freedom While living in a faux-democracy.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613626 PM Title: 43 / Copy(43): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 3 Tough Love Empathy By Alexis Melvin Alissa Petrole
"Stop wasting your time with people who don’t love you," I said harshly to the girl sitting opposite of me. I could tell in her eyes that she wasn’t intimidated. She sat back and folded her arms across her chest. The smirk across her face told me that she wasn't taking me very seriously.
"And you do?" Her head tilted to the right. I was taken aback by her response. At the moment, I was living for her. Over the past year, all I'd done was risk my life for her. And now she had the nerve to ask me if loved her. The blood in my veins was boiling. I took a moment, trying to calm myself before I said something that I would regret.
"Of course," I answered through gritted teeth. I watched her press her lips into a straight line as if she didn't believe me. I felt more and more offended with every second that passed by. She calmly took a sip of tea from the mug sitting on the table in front other. My eyes were fixed on her, waiting impatiently for her to respond.
"You have a funny way of showing it," she spat. Suddenly, I didn't feel the need to protect her feelings anymore. But before I could respond, she beat me to it. "All you do is treat me like a child. It's like no matter what I do, you're never satisfied."
"Maybe if you stopped acting like a child, I would stop treating you like one," I snapped back. She stood silent, glaring at me. She took hold of her purse and slid out of the booth. She stood over me like she was planning on responding. Instead, Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613626 PM Title: 43 / Copy(43): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 3 of 3 she kept walking toward the front door. This was usually the part where I'd chase after her and apologize for hurting her feelings, but this time I didn't feel the need. We'd gone through this scenario so many times that I was no longer affected by it. The next day, we would pretend like this didn't happen.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613637 PM Title: 44 / Copy(44): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 2 I'm from... Untitled Carlos Meyers Eric Pineda
I am from holy verses of the King James Bible that guide my life. From early morning prayers and the touch of soft hands before the sun rises. I was born in church under the holy white wings of angels. My preacher gives me the word in hopes of bettering my life. I am from the gifts on Christmas given from five coveting hearts, those I would do anything for. I am from a group that works as one, like soldiers facing an uphill battle. When one falls it is a domino effect, but when we stand it is taller and stronger than the Statue of Liberty. That's where I'm from.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613648 PM Title: 45 / Copy(45): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 2 Boys and Men Untitled Maya Ogolini Ezekiel Ramos
Boys are summer sweat dripping down the back of my neck. Men are a blanket on a winter day. Boys are two movie theater seats with the armrests raised, A messy braid with a bright ribbon. Men are glass plates in well-lit spaces, Dog-eared newspapers, Love letters with words crossed out. Boys are chipped nail polish. Men are bruised knuckles. Boys are pigs. Men are dogs. Boys are skin. Men are flesh. Boys are laughter stifled into the back of my hand Men are secret smiles traded beneath words I never have to say out loud. And as the world trades summer for fall, Boys become softer, Seat themselves between my shoulder blades like they are building a home. Men grin at boys, the ghost of something I can't quite place hiding beneath their Eyes.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613659 PM Title: 46 / Copy(46): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 13 A Study in Art Amongst Other Touch Of Death Things Laura Sandoval Maya Ogolini
Sam Digger finds a masterpiece on a Sunday.
“You need a break,” Candace tells him over wine one night as she silently judges the dark circles under his eyes. “Take a vacation, go to a museum, something that doesn’t involve sitting in this apartment and pouting at your computer.”
Sam takes a look around the dingy room, pointedly ignoring the growing pile of dishes growing in his kitchen sink. “Dan will kill me,” he says, because it’s easier than denying, and then looks at Candace’s I-don’t-believe-you face.
She rolls her eyes at the reference of his editor instead. “Dan will kill you if you match black on brown,” she deadpans. “Dan wants to kill you no matter what.” Sam can’t argue with that one either, so he pours himself another glass of wine.
Sam isn’t quite sure when his writing became a chore. It could have been between his first published bestseller and the second press tour. He remembers being shoved onto stage after stage to do readings of his novel for countless fans. He remembers struggling to keep his voice loud enough to drown out the cheering. When, they scream his name, tell him his book changed their lives, he wants to scream. If Sam’s novel has changed you, they read it wrong. They don’t understand, no one does. He remembers shaking behind a venue, Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613659 PM Title: 46 / Copy(46): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 3 of 13 crouched down low because he couldn’t seem to find the ground until he was on his back and looking up at the sky. He mostly tries to forget nowadays, and unfortunately that means he cannot write.
“I have a deadline,” he reminds Candace, because she is here, expectant, hungry like the rest of them. “You’re my agent. You shouldn’t be encouraging me to play hooky.”
“My job is to mind the talent, and that doesn’t exactly pan out if the talent beats itself into exhaustion.”
Sam’s hand tightens around his glass. “Not beating,” he mutters.
Candace’s eyes don’t soften, but her tone is different when she speaks again. “I won’t tell him,” and Sam can’t bear her voice, “if you take a few personal days back home.”
Sam grits his teeth, then swallows so much wine he may need to develop gills. “I’ll go to a museum,” he says finally, and Candace stands, not bothering to look him in the eyes.
Candace never stays longer than necessary, or when the bottle has run dry. “I’ll check back in a few days to make sure you haven’t killed yourself,” she says, which is the kindest goodbye he has received in years.
This is how he finds himself in an art gallery across town one night when he runs out of clean paper plates and finds himself driving past the local convenience store. He doesn’t know why he’s here; Sam has always hated art galleries. It’s all Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613659 PM Title: 46 / Copy(46): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 4 of 13 beautiful pieces that he is not allowed to touch. Still, this is better than visiting the history museum across the way, all vases he cannot look inside and boxes he cannot open.
He finds the Masterpiece ten minutes into his visit when he is already bored. The Masterpiece is apparently on her lunch break, turkey sandwich wedged between her hands as she wedges herself between two works that are nailed up on the wall. She’s got hazel eyes trained on a clipboard, and she sticks a pen under her front teeth. He catches himself before he trips over what is apparently a priceless sculpture. She’s got a light dusting of freckles along her nose that Sam thinks look like constellations, a faint bit of the stars painted on her face. She looks like the kind of thing Sam would write about, the kind of thing Dan would shred to pieces during editing for being “too wordy.” Her hair is pinned up in two buns going down her head, but some wisps still manage to break free, framing her face like a portrait. She looks like a work of art.
He clears his throat, but the Masterpiece doesn’t seem to notice him, which is strange, because people tend to notice Sam. Granted, it’s usually because he looks like the kind of man (boy) that you’d see at the wrong end of a dark alley, but still. The Masterpiece is unfazed though, scribbling thoroughly onto her paper as if the words may run away. Sam wants to tell her he knows the feeling.
“I know the feeling,” he says, and crap, he didn’t actually mean to say it, but now she’s looking up, finding his eyes.
“Sorry?” She asks, and the pen stops Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613659 PM Title: 46 / Copy(46): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 5 of 13 writing, but doesn’t stray from the clipboard.
Sam falters. “You were- the writing, I…uh…I write fast too,” he finishes lamely, and Masterpiece looks at him like he’s insane. He might be.
“Right,” she says, and looks down, seems to take pity on him. “It’s for a project.” She gestures to her paper. “Understanding modern art.” She sounds annoyed, and Sam almost lets himself smile.
“Where do you go?” he asks.
“Ald. U,” she says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“And the project?” he continues, silently wondering if it’s appropriate to take a seat.
“Understanding intention,” she says, gesturing to the painting on the wall.
When Sam turns to look, his brain short-circuits. “It’s a beautiful work.”
She keeps going but Sam can barely hear her, all the sound has been blown out of his ears, and it feels like he’s underwater.
“But I can’t figure out what she’s trying to say with it.”
“Isolation,” he says before he can help it, and Masterpiece blinks at him.
“Isolation?” she repeats, not entirely convinced.
Sam can’t take his eyes off the painting, can’t look away from the paleness of the Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613659 PM Title: 46 / Copy(46): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 6 of 13 subject’s face in the painting, the way w hite washes into grey. “The painter is trying to relate to the subject’s loneliness by experimenting with monochrome colors,” he explains, and he sees where the brushstrokes go harsh, anger taken out on a canvas when something doesn’t look quite right. “It’s about isolation.”
Something clicks to Masterpiece because her voice is quiet when she speaks again. “Wow. You must know a lot about art.”
There’s a lump in Sam’s throat that he didn’t know was there before. “I don’t,” he says, and he tears his eyes away from what is undoubtedly his face on oil canvas. “But I do know my mother.”
Her eyes widen and her head snaps to the painting again before she looks at him again. “You’re
Sandra Digger’s son?” She gapes, and his hands begin to sweat.
It’s the first time he’s heard the name in ages, and it still seems to roll off of the tongue as easy as it used to. “Yes,” he manages simply because he looks at her and finds he cannot lie. “More or less.”
Masterpiece’s mouth finally closes before she puts two and two together. “You’re Samuel Digger!” she breathes, and now he’s more myth than person, and she’s putting the stories she’s heard about him into the gaps of his face, finding words that tabloids have pasted to him to piece the rest of him together. “You wrote Dream Mogul?”
He nods, and perhaps now would be a Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613659 PM Title: 46 / Copy(46): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 7 of 13 good time to leave. “You’ve read it?” He asks, which would be a stupid question if he wasn’t pretending to be humble. Everyone has read Dream Mogul. The New York Times called it a “social phenomenon”.
Masterpiece is nodding now, and her clipboard slides down her lap. “It was one of our assignments for class,” she says, and then, “I finished it within the week.”
She smiles, bright and brilliant, and Sam feels warmth radiate from her like the sun. “And?” he asks.
She turns, to look at his mother’s painting one more time. “Talk about not understanding motivation,” she says finally.
Sam raises an eyebrow, shoulders raised in protest. “You didn’t understand my book?” He suddenly feels attacked.
“No, no,” the girl softens the blow, turns a bit more so he can see all of her face now. “I understood the plot, the characters, enough to write a five page essay about it. I just didn’t understand the motivation of your protagonist.”
She’s got this look about her like it’s almost too troubling, and he wants to help her. “He leaves his family to better humanity,” he says, as if it were obvious. It was. He spent two days rewriting that piece of the book, remembers wanting to tear his hair out.
“I know,” she says, and she bites her lip like she’s holding back. “But,” she manages, “I can’t understand the motivation of someone who abandons Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613659 PM Title: 46 / Copy(46): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 8 of 13 their family.”
“Not abandonment,” he says, because she’s not getting it, no one is. “They don’t need him, don’t want him. He goes off to help the world, instead of staying.”
“Yeah, but I’ve reread certain passages a few times over,” she says, fiddling with her pen a bit.
“And there doesn’t seem to be a lack of love within the Wickerman house, just the protagonist’s inability to realize it.”
He doesn’t answer, so she keeps going.
“I mean, the scene between Maximus and his father, it’s supposed to read like he’s punishing him for drag racing, right?”
And Sam nods because he still remembers the way his father’s teeth had c l enched when he caught Sam out in a beat up Jaguar along the lower region, the climate too harsh for a sixteen year old. “Okay, but he’s clearly not angry at Maximus for disobeying him. He’s concerned for his safety, and lashes out of fear,” Sam snorts. “Argo Wickerman made a living doing dangerous things, he had no right to order his son around for behaving similarly.” His words catch slightly at the end, and there’s a voice saying like father like son that he can’t shove out as easily as he used to. Sam Digger’s father had been a smuggler until he had married Sandra. Sam is nothing like his father, nothing. But the more he says it, the less even he believes it.
Masterpiece frowns, and finally, finally, Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613659 PM Title: 46 / Copy(46): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 9 of 13 she puts her clipboard down, allows her palms to fold into her lap as she stares him down. “Argo Wickerman settled down with the most responsible and resourceful woman in the universe, and up until that point he had never known the beauty of safety.”
Sam tries desperately to keep his eyes trained on her, not to dart out and soak in the idea of his mother trying to understand him.
“Argo Wickerman finally has a family, or something to care about, after a lifetime of being alone.
He recognizes the importance of instilling the lessons he had to learn on his own into his son.
Granted, at times, it’s a bit overdramatic, but from my point of view, it’s done completely out of a place of love. Because of that, I just can’t imagine why his son would choose to leave his family.”
“Are you saying I’ve written my book wrong?” Sam asks, offended.
The Masterpiece shakes her head, and he really needs to learn her name. “I’m saying Maximus Wickerman was wrong in his impression of his family, and by extension, life.” Her eyes soften, and suddenly, he knows that she understands that they aren’t talking about Dream Mogul anymore. Somewhere amidst his huffs and bursts of anger, she’d realized the personal tone his book had taken on.
“I’m saying that it’s okay to be loved. It’s okay to be selfish with it. Maximus spends all of this time focusing on his pain and Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613659 PM Title: 46 / Copy(46): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 10 of 13 suffering to make him stronger, but he doesn’t understand that you can’t get rid of one side of the spectrum just to eliminate the other. Pain doesn’t destroy the love that he can’t see that he needs.”
The air seems to have gotten ten degrees warmer as Sam stands, the last fifteen years of his life suddenly ripped to shreds by a girl he hardly knows. “Well,” he says shortly, “I hope you got a good grade on that paper,” he says in lieu of farewell, because he can’t get the words out on his tongue.
The Masterpiece offers a small smile. “I got an A.” There’s a bit of pride in her voice. “My professor called it a ‘new and refreshing outlook on a timeless new-age classic’.
Sam laughs, brisk and short. “Well, I’ve certainly never considered your theory, so that seems appropriate.” He tries to laugh again, but falls short when he sees the way pity takes over her eyes.
“No,” she says, “I didn’t think you had.” She shifts on her bench, but doesn’t break eye contact.
“Don’t look at me like that…” Sam orders, and it’s meant to sound threatening, but comes out like begging.
She stands, taking a step towards him. “Sam-” she begins, but he cuts her off.
“Don’t do that. Don’t talk to me about myself and pretend like you know everything about my life, or them.” He shoves a hand up to gesture roughly to the painting. “You weren’t there, you don’t know what it was like, they-” His voice is Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613659 PM Title: 46 / Copy(46): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 11 of 13 breaking, his expression is shifting, and if he doesn’t get out of here quick, everything is going to blow up in his face. “They sent me away. They shut me out, sent me across the state because they couldn’t understand me, and they were too busy to try. They only wanted me when it was convenient for them. I can’t- ...I won’t go back to that.” She stands in front of him, silent and pondering, thinking over his words. “I’m not going to talk about what your family does or doesn’t understand,” she says finally. “You’re right, I don’t know them. So instead, let me tell you about myself.” She licks her lips, and Sam’s throat goes dry. “I grew up in the foster care system, bounced around from home to home. My parents left me when I was born. I never knew them, and I grew up without a family.”
Sam sees the way her eyes are hard instead of soft, the way the story she tells is so old that she is unfazed by the entire thing. He sees the way her hands shake though, and he imagines this tiny girl curled up in her apartment some nights, alone under blankets in bed as she wonders who left her and why.
“If you want to talk about abandonment, that,” she shakes, “that is abandonment. But let me tell you, if I saw something like this,” she gestures to the painting, to the detailed description of his face as his mother remembers him. “I’d feel like the m o st loved person in the world. Someone who feels so much love for you that they express it through art, through their craft to try and feel you out. Dream Mogul is your way of getting your emotions out by Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613659 PM Title: 46 / Copy(46): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 12 of 13 focusing on pain, but this painting is pure love. For God’s sake, she’s memorized the placement of the moles on your face, the way your eyebrows bunch up when you get scared that someone is getting close to you.” Sam hadn’t known that he’d been this open of a book, and he tries to mask his features a bit as he stares down at her. She’s about a head shorter, but he still feels like her shadow is big enough to cover him.
“Now, I have a worksheet to finish about this painting,” she says, and all of a sudden, she’s collecting her clipboard, her jacket and her sandwich, all things once long forgotten. She juts her chin up at him. “You should check out the rest of her paintings,” she says, and he is grateful when she doesn’t say his mother’s name out loud. “It’s a series.”
She turns to walk away, and he calls to her retreating back, “What’s your name?”
When she turns her head, the buns in her hair bounce slightly. “Dee,” she responds, her tone clipped but chipper. “Dee,” he repeats, the name sliding out. “Could I...Could I see you again?” Dee seems to consider this for a moment before nodding, but there’s a sly glint in her eyes that has Sam both terrified and enamored. “Sandra Digger is holding an opening of works here in about a week. You can find me there.”
His heart sinks.
“7:30, black tie optional, open to the public, as well as estranged sons.”
When she is long gone, and Sam has Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3613659 PM Title: 46 / Copy(46): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 13 of 13 spent hours poring over his mother’s works, he manages to finally make it to a payphone just outside of his apartment, hands clenched around the frame. The phone picks up on the third ring?
“Hello?” The voice sounds groggy with sleep, and Sam realizes with a start that it’s well past midnight.
“Candace,” he breathes out, and he hears shifting around for a bit as she undoubtedly rises from bed.
“Don’t tell me you’re dead already?”
Sam laughs, a loud and beautiful sound. Then, there’s a bang on the other end.
When the receiver makes it back to her mouth, she sounds concerned. “What,” she questions, “was that?”
Sam laughs again, keeps laughing until there are tears coming out of his eyes. Whether he is crying out of laughter or other reasons isn’t quite clear, but he can’t seem to speak.
Through the haze of everything, he hears Candace say, “Are you okay? Where are you? I’m coming to get you.”
“No,” he finally gasps. “No, Candace I…I’m fine.” And yeah, maybe he could be. “I’m alright, I promise you. I just…I’ll just need a few more personal days.”
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3614610 PM Title: 47 / Copy(47): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 3 I Want to Grow Old with You Still Life Brittany Paganucci Laura Sandoval
I want to remember our first date, just like that special moment a baby lays eyes on their mom for the first time. I want to go on our first date all over again, reliving all the cheesy pick up lines you said while sneaking your arm around me. I want to relive the five years we were dating because they flew by like a cluster of birds flying south for the winter. I want to hear you re-say your vows, watching your pink delicate lips form the words ‘I love you’. I want to lie on our silky bed covered with roses just like in every romantic movie. I want to read the pregnancy test and dream about the nine months later when we’re holding our child, scared of dropping, reminding us how delicate a baby is, like a carton of eggs. I want you to hold my hand while I’m in labor, watching tears fall down my face like rain dripping off of a red rose. I want to bring the baby home for the first day and have us wrapped around each other, like a pair of bats. I want us to share a connection, one that will sit in the back of my mind just like our baby-sitting in the backseat of the car. I want to see your big, bright smile knowing we created this perfect human being. I want to travel with you like a sailboat that has crossed every ocean. I want to grow old with you and be confused with each other about whose walker is whose. I want to grow old with you because you are my other half. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3614619 PM Title: 48 / Copy(48): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 2 The Game Aaron Alyssa Palazzolo Jack Sarocka
Life is a game, and I am a player. Upon my jersey is not a number telling the world who I am But a list of logos and barcodes for you to tell who I am. I am defined by my interests and characterized by yours. But who is the referee, and what sport is this? Do I have any teammates or merely opponents? My life has become the entertainment for so many, But I am far from the MVP of my own game. Thus my talent is forgotten, And my mistakes are broadcasted like chaos in Times Square For all to see.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3614630 PM Title: 49 / Copy(49): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 3 Graywood Untitled Quentin Perry Danielle Scalzo
Like rose petals on the kitchen counter, You would fall if I didn’t catch you. I wrote a poem and I freeze, focused on you, Cause your heart is cold while seeking refuge.
I’m no good but if I’m up writing a poem at 3 AM for you Then I’m not sleeping on you. Regarding him, You don’t deserve a single thing he does to you. You dance like drugs and music is just a buzz to you. I see you move and I can see what love does for you. I know you wish he could produce this kind of love for you. Numbers don’t lie so you’re the one.
If he knew he’d come running back, If he knew he’d get himself together but he won’t get you back, I’d let you wear my shirt like a jersey, Cause just to see you down hurts my chest like a heart attack.
I heard once that one would rather hear about memories than enemies, Rather hear what was or what will be than what is, Rather hear how you got over it than how much it cost you, Rather hear about finding yourself than how you lost you, Rather this is an open letter about relationship struggles and taking forever, Rather than the hearts you’ve broken and ties that you severed, Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3614630 PM Title: 49 / Copy(49): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 3 of 3 No doubt in my mind that will make them feel better.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3614641 PM Title: 50 / Copy(50): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 3 Momm@ New America Quentin Perry Anesti Sotirovsk
You don't get enough recognition You moved us from the city so we didn't have to live that Chicago life you did You raised us before you had a life, so I don't blame you when you're feeling like a kid Wanted to party all night live fast and that's not what you did I appreciate you because with only a high school diploma you get to send two of us off to college this year
Girls were never a distraction because you were my first love I just pray that you do your best when life is tough Funny when we didn't have anything we got stuff So I appreciate that we didn't have to live rough
You see the good in everyone that did you wrong You sled down the chimney on Christmas Got a gift on Fathers Day Mother's Day was your birthday Valentines was a cake walk And on your birthday, don't even ask cause I got you
You keep it real with every dude that tried to try you Let him know you got 3 sons and 2 daughters and all your kids will ef him up Just continue to hold it down and don't let them niggas stress you We the only guys that you come home to Believe that
One day we'll have Powerball money Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3614641 PM Title: 50 / Copy(50): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 3 of 3 We'll walk around like we've always had money I come to when everybody acting funny I'll always keep this relationship as sweet as honey
Love you more than life itself and I truly mean that.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3614653 PM Title: 51 / Copy(51): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 3 Chaque Jour. Tous les Temps Internal Sanctuary Jayne Peters Joey Tait
There are file cabinets that crowd my brain, An office space that needs cleaning. Thinking. Thinking. Always thinking. A wheel spins around keeping chaos rolling. Spinning. Spinning. Always spinning. My brain: it's a small, enclosed space Overflowing with past pains, present paths, and future fears. With each tense vying and clawing at once. Chaquejour. Tousles temps. My mind and my brain are best friends Sharing stories of past, present, future. I analyze each tense like a dog would consider a squirrel. I think, "how to be better." Better. Better. Better at what? When I fall vs. when I fly. Separate those two. When I trip over air of past, present, and even future, I scrape my knees and elbows on the curb of chaos. The streets of stress. When I fly, I soar past the clouds to heaven. My mind has a staircase. A mountain. Bigger than the file cabinets. I climb each with steps of purpose. Like a soldier takes fearless steps on a battlefield. I carry my cleaning supplies like a soldier’s favorite weapon. I storm through my own storm and defeat the evil stresses. Like my own hero. I approach the office space like a battle I refuse to lose. First, the file cabinets. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3614653 PM Title: 51 / Copy(51): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 3 of 3 I shred every folder of past pains and future fears. Next, the wheel keeping chaos rolling. Keeping the present paths crooked. I strike it like a cobra. Like the hero I am. Whose hero? Mine. I save my own day. Then I am better. Better at what? Just better. And I go on my way. Like my own hero. I am. Chaque jour. Tousles temps.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3615604 PM Title: 52 / Copy(52): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 2 Absence Untitled Austin Schanken Kacey Taylor
Nothing is a layer of clothing I wear underneath my bones. Nothing is what I feel when I'm up at 3 AM. It’s what I taste when I spend $200 on a meal. It's what I feel when someone tells me they love me, And nothing is what I feel when someone tells me they hate me. Throughout my day, Nothing consumes me like how a Venus flytrap enfolds its prey. Nothing lingers within me like cancer lingers in the human body. Nothing is what fills my veins, it’s what my heart pumps. Nothing is what fills the hospital bed And the hole in the ground. And nothing is what is scribed on the tombstone with my name on it. Nothing is what fills the minds and hearts of people when they remember me.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3615621 PM Title: 53 / Copy(53): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 3 How to be Whole Self Portrait Elizabeth Somodji Jake Thomas
Ever since she was born, She got everything. All the toys she desired, Were within her grasp. Every activity she was desperate to do, Was allowed without hesitation. She was the girl who got everything. She got all the best clothes she could ever wear. She got all the best screen entertainment she could ever want. She got all the top awards and trophies she could ever receive. She had all the best friends she could ever want. But why did she still feel empty inside? With every new item, Every new friend, Every new award, She felt herself drifting. Felt increasingly like an outcast, Felt sadder with every win or loss, Yet she refused to come to the light. Shut offed. Laughed. Smiled. Everything she could do to not let them know. For she would be scorned, Deemed as ungrateful, Too self-conscious, Not trying hard enough, An attention getter, Someone who could clearly never understand the “true” struggles of life, For she had everything. She had all the best teachers, Friends, And family, Yet, Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3615621 PM Title: 53 / Copy(53): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 3 of 3 She could not be any lonelier or miserable in her life. The girl who has everything, An illusion from the true girl, The girl who has nothing.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3615646 PM Title: 54 / Copy(54): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 3 Crazy Old Woman Double Minded Kailey Trostle Star Thomas
Ms. Hughbert was the craziest neighbor I've ever had. I've lived in four different houses in my life, but I've never lived next to any lunatics like her. She lived right next door to me – her house was a little brick ranch, with a fence around the back yard. The fence probably was not meant for privacy because you could see right over it from our raised level back deck. She had to be in her early seventies. She was a plump little woman who looked and talked very sweetly but the things that she said and did were absolutely nuts!
There was this one time when I was on my back deck laying in the sun with my dog Max. I had my headphones in but suddenly my sound was interrupted by the noise of a chainsaw. Startled, I sat up shaking my headphones out of my ears. I looked over to Ms. Hughbert's backyard. She had a chainsaw in her hands and she was using it like a sledgehammer, striking the ground. The blade of the chainsaw threw grass and dirt everywhere. I ran down the stairs of my deck, across the blacktop driveway, and through the door of her fence. I was standing behind her.
"Ms. Hughbert!!" I yelled repeatedly but she couldn't hear me. So I grabbed her shoulder. Bad move. She swung around with the chainsaw and if I hadn’t ducked, I would've lost my head. I don't know who she thought I was at the moment but I was definitely the enemy. She chased me around her back yard with the chainsaw! It was not hard to outrun her, but I couldn't get her to stop. Then, Max came running through her gate and started barking at Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3615646 PM Title: 54 / Copy(54): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 3 of 3 her. When she saw Max she stopped.
"Ms. Hughbert, what are you doing?!?" I yelled.
"I didn't want to hurt your pet wolf," she said calmly.
She had stopped the chainsaw for Max, but not for me - makes sense. "What are you doing with a chainsaw in the first place?''
"Oh... I saw a big spider on the ground over there... so I was trying to kill it.”
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3615658 PM Title: 55 / Copy(55): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 2 Rhythm in My Brain Entertainer Kailey Trostle Aly Walker
I live in dance. I imagine the wide-open stage. In my head, I hear the song, And the rhythm jumps into my brain. I learn in the mirror. I stretch on the floor. I can feel the dust on my hands That was kicked up by the tap dancers And brushed around by the ballerinas. I speak in numbers but only one through eight.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3616610 PM Title: 56 / Copy(56): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 3 Carpe Diem Art'Ritis Kelly Womack Zach Wolff
Everyone is alive, few are living. Life is not meant to be seen from the sidelines. It is not simply enduring through hardships. Life is about happiness, About feeling alive, About never wanting this night to end. Living in the moment, Dancing like it’s just you and the music, When all that matters is right now. Making the most of every heartbeat, Making every breath worthwhile. Letting your mind wander, Seeking adventure, And feeling with all of your heart. Living a life that is worth remembering. Life is short. So do not waste it. Live for now, Because the past is behind us and the future is so far away. Live each moment like it’s your last. Because that is the only way to truly live. Enjoy every emotion, both good and bad, Because that’s what being alive is. You will never know who you are until you start living.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3616620 PM Title: 57 / Copy(57): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : fc… Page 2 of 2 The Road Nature’s Beauty Kelly Womack Zach Wolff
Two paths before you, Leading separate ways. One is light with flowers everywhere, Leading into nothing but a desolate atmosphere. The other, black, to the core, Getting darker by every day. However, there is a light inside it, Quite far and long away. Standing, watching, these paths unfold. Which will I take? The one darkened or the one brightened with gold? Seeing my future unravel before my eyes, Now I must decide. To the left or to the right Will my fate reside? I pick a path and will follow it true, Not looking back, For I know that out of darkness comes light.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3616631 PM Title: 58 / Copy(58): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 3 I’d Like to Have You for Dinner Warriors Maya Ogolini Zach Wolff
I'd like to have you for dinner. I'd like you to wear a very dark sport jacket. I'd like to wear red. You can sit at the end of a very long table with many empty plates lining it, Bright windows in empty buildings. I'd like to smile at you, my teeth sharpened points, My nose crinkled like old newspaper When you ask me what we're having.
I'd like to bite into you, the kind of flesh breaking that almost feels religious, A kind of bite that will scar. I'd like to eat your head from a platter, Fine china looking finer painted red. I'd like to drink you from a cup, The remnants left on my lips like the taste of home. When I hold your hand, it is only to break apart your fingers. When I cup your face, it is only to separate your jaw from your skull.
I'd like to pick your bones clean, Finality sending a shiver through my spine as I count each of your vertebrae. I want my red dress to be ruined. I want to wonder how impossible it is to feel so guilty and so happy at the same time. I will never have to miss you because I carry a piece of you inside of me forever.
I want to stumble into the bathroom, Collapse onto tile as you fight against me. I want to clutch porcelain as you push and constrict in my stomach, a last ditch attempt for revenge. Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3616631 PM Title: 58 / Copy(58): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 3 of 3 Perhaps there is life after death. I want to love you, holy shit, I want to love you, but you make it so hard. You push and you burst, But I cannot imagine a kind of love that doesn't swallow me whole. I lurch. I heave. I pine. I need. I throw you up onto linoleum. You come through, sickly and burning my throat. My dress is stained. I throw you up onto linoleum. You were never mine to begin with.
Printed by: Gabe Gancarz March 23, 2018 3616643 PM Title: 59 / Copy(59): Glenbard East - Students - Ramblings 2016 : f… Page 2 of 2 Thank You Red Ribbon Kelly Womack Gabby Zajac
How the time flies and the years go by. Each year, the seniors write about how grateful they are. While reading these notes, I honestly sighed and said, “Just another thank you.” However, what I did not understand back then Is how much this school means to them. But not only them, but also every teacher and student, Myself included. Now that I’m a senior I realize That these thank you notes are a way to hold on to our memories. A way to show gratitude for all we have experienced, A way to remember who and what we have left behind, Which is why I want to say thank you. To my teachers who are friends, To my friends who are now family, To my family who inspires me, To my school which is now my home.