Leonardo A Celebration of the Arts 2014 Leonardo 2014 Students Arts & literary Magazine Editors: Fran Gallegos Bridget Jones Kamden Cornell Acknowledgements: Steven Veatch Hope Hart Petrie CNM students are breaking new ground with Leonardo 2014. This edition marks our first foray into online publication of the student literary arts magazine. We received submissions from 67 students, the most ever, and Cover Images: this year’s editors were fortunate to select from more art submissions, 63, and saw an increase in short story submissions. With more fine work to Loni Colleen Gross choose from, the volunteer editors maintained the diversity of the magazine by publishing over half of the artists and writers who submit. Returning Who I am and Where I’ve Been - front cover from last year’s editorial staff were Fran Gallegos and Steven Veatch, who shared their experience with newcomers Hope Hart Petrie, Bridget Jones, and Hali Zotter Kamden Cornell. Fran, Hope, and Bridget carried the biggest responsibilities this time, meeting in person for extra hours to build this beautiful volume. Arts - back cover Special kudos go to Hope for her expert computer layout and design, realizing the collaborative vision of the editors, and to Nancy Denker from Focus Ink for her excellent printing work. Layout & Design: Leonardo gives thanks to CNM Dean of Students Rudy Garcia, the Student Hope Hart Petrie Allocations Board, and CNM Student Activities Coordinator Brandon Seber for helping to spotlight CNM student achievements and their contributions to the broader CNM community. Faculty Advisor: Patrick Houlihan, Ph.D. Leonardo Faculty Advisor Patrick Houlihan LEONARDO is an arts and literary magazine run by students at Central New Mexico Community College. Funding is provided by CNM Student Activities. MANUSCRIPTS and art submissions are accepted year-round. See back page for guidelines. © 2014 by Central New Mexico Community College. TABLE OF CONTENTS Steven Veatch Renee Tucker Travel in New Mexico 7 Diana 36 Sandra Knudsen Hope Hart Petrie Morning Blessings 8 Homeless 37 Brionna Garcia Perditus Politicum 38 Mestizo Me 9 Home Economics 39 Joseph Beranek Fran Gallegos Yin-Yang 10 You 40 Cindy Baker DeloresNewkirk Hostage at the Checkout 11 Branches 40 Longing for Sea Tides 12 FranGallegos Renee Tucker They 41 Tale of the Mermaid 13 She 41 April Pitcher Jessica Venzor-Venegas 21st Century Vanitas 14 El Novio 42 Kamden Cornell Matthew Binder Hypnophoria 15 All This Disloyalty Is Alarming 43 Jessica Venzor-Venegas StevenVeatch El Caballero 16 Grape Creek 48 Kamden Cornell Khallen Korte Lethe 17 Blue Spruce in the Rain 49 Nikki J Cordova Strawberry 50 Chickenpox and Mohawks 18 MikeKimball Lilian Hoines A Life Unwanted 51 The Trouble With Kindness 19 Cat Johnson Tomas A Montoya Casino Poem 52 Canvas of A Poet 21 Anastasia Atene Sunny Shelmidine Lost in Wonderland 53 Jessica Venzor-Venegas 22 Angela Le Quieu Sleep 22 Parking Lot 54 Hali Zotter ThomasWeiss It’s Kind of Fun 23 Balloon 55 Kaytlyn Bashon Sandia Wood Wobbly Poetry Feet 23 Cigarette 56 Sandra Knudsen Bryan Alvarado Poema Yo Soy 24 Blue Note 57 ThomasWeiss April Barreiro Coyote 25 Abigail 58 Hali Zotter 26 The Noose 59 Frost Ghosts 59 Dolores Newkirk 27 CarolWoodland Unlock Me For the Birds 60 Bridget Jones StevenVeatch Reminiscing on Nickelodeon 28 Windows Into Past 63 Jealousy 30 Lauren Hubbert Rebecca Campbell Work the Dirt 64 Fear 30 StevenVeatch Elijah Bradford View of Fairplay Area 65 Ugly Mirror 31 Lauren Hubbert Jarrod Mendoza Today the New Day 66 He Sails Away 32 Luke Jacobs Pygmalion 32 Walking 67 Morning Song 33 Split the Atom 67 Jonathan Baca Angela Plont Ramble No More 34 She walked softly on the old wood floor 68 Ghost People 35 Flutter-Bye 68 Haiku 35 Jessica Venzor-Venegas Flower Child 69 Jennifer Baird Daniel 70 Steven Veatch By The River Of Time 71 Steven Veatch Laura Cooper Sunday 72 Loni Colleen Gross Trucks and Things 73 Laura Cooper A Journey From Affliction to Freedom Un viaje de la afficcion la libertad 75 Heidi Stoltzfus Hershey 76 Loni Colleen Gross Women’s Handicraft 76 Fran Gallegos Birthday Party 77 Escape 78 ThomasWeiss Geese 78 Charles Wood A Devil Named Atlas Broods Everlong 79 Jonathan Anzures Be A Man 83 Hali Zotter Heartless 84 Lissa Baca Incarceration 85 Lissa Baca I Am From the Little House 86 Renee Tucker I Used to Climb Trees 87 StevenVeatch WinterScape 87 Jesselee Armijo An Image of IV 88 Hali Zotter Arts 91 Travel in New Mexico 7 Sandra Knudsen Brionna Garcia Mestizo Me My blood runs with the spirits of the corn eaters, of the turquoise wearers Each strand of my DNA woven with theirs like the baskets made by them Brown feathers and tan leather donned by my earth people Coyotes can be heard howling through the echo of generations Spiritual smoke painted their midnight sky spreading visions of their future, of me My hair falls like the empires of pyramid builders, of the jade wearers Every cell in tune with the invention of zero and the mind of the calendar Soft jaguar skin and quetzal feathers adorn my ancient shaman fathers The spirit molecule seeps onto their tongues as they become interdimensional beings, Feeling the presence of the feathered serpent slithering infinite in time My soul explores new turf like the wooden ships of the inquisitive conquerors, of the crucifix wearers All neurons tethered to them and me anchoring me down like the sands of the beaches they sought Metal helmets and heavy guns strapped to my fair-fleshed relatives The blood of Christ dominating their lips and their motives, representing those of the monarchy Curiosity spilling into imperialism, the Church deciding what’s best for my ‘savage’ people Morning Blessings 8 9 Joseph Beranek Cindy Baker Hostage at the Checkout Welcome to Smith’s Behind coupon queen with a load of grapefruit My eyes land on the body slimming swimsuit Just below Donald Trump saying, “You’re fired!” And octomom who suspiciously never looks tired How you doin’ today? I’m okay Boozy binges, meltdowns, and secret lovers New noses and chins that grace the covers Vegas hotel romps and Royal tales Paparazzi hound the young Prince of Wales Deathbeds, farewells, drugs and lies Betrayals, splits, cheap dates and barflies Hot hookups, secret weddings, alcohol Who wants to know if he really took steroids? enabler How to retire your fat pants forever Before and after pics battling cellulite Child-star actress in a booze-fueled fight Yes, thanks The eye torture seemed like it would never end But the cart moved ahead, I survived once again I’m okay Stuck at an island in a sea of tabloids Yin-Yang 10 11 Cindy Baker Longing for Sea Tides Renee Tucker She Misses The sea And the sandy Seaweed scattered shore Oh, how she misses the swirling, splashing Sprays on her skin as wave upon wave rush in, chasing— Chasing her toward the line where Tide dared tread Then ebb and wink and beg her wander back In search of sea glass And shells And royal purple starfish That gave themselves up for her She longs to walk along the sandy shore and listen to the whispering secrets of the Sea To savor the sight of the dolphins as they leap and dance their way Along the shimmering coastline with Sailboats glistening beyond And see the sea gulls’ Eyes glint With hope At little fishes Darting in Tide pools Left behind by receding waters She must find a way to see the sea, to sit and listen to the soothing sounds And watch as waves take encore bows, heading back into the depths While Sun marches boldly in Bidding Tide adieu And surfers salute And acquiesce Because they Tale of the Mermaid Know Tide Comes Back Yet Again 12 13 April Pitcher KamdenHypnophoria Cornell What I am is difficult to make out these days; there are so many opinions of what I should be, could be, would be, if I had tried harder, or cared harder, or loved harder What I am is confused and overstimulated, I cannot see myself in the fractured mirrors of disintegrating information and disinformation, through the media smoke screen and the green haze profusion of the sagging million dollar dreams that have dried up like so many raisins in the sun, dreams corroded and exploding What I am is masked by meter and rhythm, a culture, a society I was born into and am enshrouded by, a socio-symphonic costume of sight, sound, and philosophy bursting from the minds and mouths of the authorities on the matter of my self What I am is determined by external factors, hypnopaedic voices whispering temptations, expectations, recitations of a consumer liturgy to Mammon written in capital letters that ceaselessly repeats: NEVER ENOUGH NEVER ENOUGH NEVER ENOUGH NEVER ENOUGH What I am is a knee-jerk response, an android dreaming… of what? 21st Century Vanitas Electric sheep, electric blankets, electric cars…? Perhaps of deeper sleep, hypnogogic bliss, ignorant of an answer to the most important question 14 15 Kamden Cornell Jessica Venzor-Venegas Lethe I have knelt by the waters of Lethe and drunk my fill She works upon me now, a surgeon for the broken heart, and she excises you, piece by jagged piece I cling to them, though, the shards of you, and she pulls them away as a toy from a child, slicing my palms, my fingers, my wrists The space you filled has become diseased, a festering pit inhabited by only the smiles of crooked scars that criss cross like the pathways marked on theme park maps, leading her deeper, landmark by precious landmark, memory by memory; as goddess of destruction, she lays waste to my memory of you and becomes the preserver of my hollowness She leaves me empty, bereaved and