REFLECTIONS Introduction
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REFLECTIONS Introduction The 1 iterary efforts represented in the fol 1 owing pages came solely from the students in the Spring Quarter English 173 Creative Writing class here at Western Piedmont Community College. The work ranges from poetry to plays, short stories to nostalgic narratives, sonnets to satire. P feel that the quality and depth of the material herein speaks extremely well for the writing abilities of the students Western Piedmont attracts. Future issues of "Reflections" 'will, I hope, expand to embrace other Fine Arts disciplines, particularly the visual arts, as we seek to include photography, charcoal drawings, pen and ink renderings, cardboard prints, etchings and other examples of the arts. So read, enjoy, and, by the way, be prepared to be entertained. John Carenen Instructor English 173 OW+) Table of Contents John and The Model T nostalgic narrative Jack Dean page 1 Cool Dude poem Anne Harwell 4 In The Library poem Anne Harwell 4 Con tempt poem Steve Penland 5 Ambit ion poem Steve Penland 5 Security short story Penny Dal e 6 God Incarnate poem Kim Radcl iff 2 0 Sol ii tude poem Mark Crisp 20 Life in General poem Toby Stephan 2 1 Sheer, Bloody Ecstasy poem Toby Stephan 2 I The Tragedy Of Midas dramatic parody Jack Shaver 22 Nature Is A Symphony poem Lori ann White 2 6 Parallel Depression poem Toby Stephan 26 The Pulsations of a Lifetirne poem Toby Stephan 2 6 Spare Moments poem Anne Harwell 2 7 Fantasy poem Anne Harwell 2 7 Freudian Slap poem Anne Harwell 27 I See You poem Anne Harwell 28 Soul Rain poem Anne Mawel 1 28 John and The Diamond Earrings nostalgic narrative Jack Dean 2 9 A Dream pa em Steve Pen1 and 34 If I Was King poem Steve Pen1 and 34 Valentine poem Steve Pen 1and 34 Tree poem Michael Vance 34 Take Me Out Of The Ballgame drama Toby Stephan 3 5 The Appearance Of Evi 1 short story Anne Harwell 39 On Having An Identity Crisis poem Penny Dal e 46 F is for Failure poem Penny Dale 47 Infatuation poem Penny Dale 47 Reply to Rich Man's Proposa 1 poem Penny Dale 48 For Love of Sleep poem Penny Dal e 48 The E 1 opemen t reminiscence Lariann White 43 W isdom sayings Jack Shaver 50 John and The Model T by Jack Dean My maternal grandfather's name was William Henry Allen, but I always called him John. I meant no disrespect. And even though he had Teutonic ideas regarding family disci pl jne and was somewhat irascible by nature, he took no offense. It was his own fault - if, indeed, any fault was to be assigned. I was christened Jack, but John thought that diminutive was improper as a Christian name and in- sisted on cal ling me John. As a toddler, I natural ly imitated any sound I heard (including what the cat and dog said) and garbled back to him whatever word he spoke to me; thus he became identified in my mind as "John". It was he who was re-christened. John was unique. Never in the past was there a being like him, none exists at present, and there could never be another in the future. I remember him as a short, broad, portly man who wore a broad-brimmed hat, a grey-bland mustache, a heavy gold watch chain across his waistcoat, and a slightly arrogant manner - with a twinkle in his eye. His ancestry was "Pennsylvania Dutch" and Irish, which shewed up in his personality as a blend of the Irishman's feisty cheerfulness and the German's stern practicality. In Rim, the leprechauns marched to the beat of a Prussian drummer. John was a contractor-builder by profession. At the time of hjs adventure with the Made1 T he was an affluent and influential citizen af Charlotte, North Carolina. Numbers of carpenters, laborers, and cabinet makers worked for him on his jobs and in his shop; and he frequently transported them from job to job in his private automobiles as the need arose. This became unsatisfactory. The men wore soiled overalls and muddy brogans; they couldn't help getting the interior of John's cars dirty, particularly since they had to carry their tools with them. John was proud of his cars: they proclaimed his material succcss in 1 ife to the world; and since he was a self-educated, self-made man (his detractors said that fact reli,eyed L the Almighty of an awesome responsibility) his automobiles were especially precious a( to him. Being a man of action, he did something about it -- precipitately. 1 One day in May in 1924, he had his driver, "Dee", drop him off at the Wilson- b $ Petit Motor Company on South Tryon Street, giving "Dee" instructions to return to T e- f the garage, John" sttable of fine automobiles. John then walked into the showroom, a and examined three Model T Ford touring cars. Unaided by professional sales help, b # he decided on the one that had the prestigious extras such as bumpers, headlights, T spare tire, and self-starter already attached. Its simple, oilcloth-covered L I jnterior appealed to him as a conveyance for his workmen, one that could easily be a As he was sriting a check for the amount due for Mr. Wilson, the agency owner, '7 ti Mr. Wilson said to him, "'Mr. Allen, this automobile has drjving controls different '7 from those en your other cars. 1 'I1 have one of my demonstrators give you a LJ driving lesson in your new Model T before you start home with it." This was very 7 considerate; agency employees norma l7y gave driving 1 essons to new drivers purchasing k1 a car in those days, but John wasn't going to let anyone think of him as a new 7 driver. His ego positively bridled at the word lesson. "Hell, man," he said, 9 "1 was driving automobiles before you were out of diapers!" This was true. John t ? owned one of the first automobi 1 es ever driver in Charlotte; and -- he was proud w of the fact -- he owned the first "Straight-8" car, a Hupmobile, ever seen there. L He had at that time a '"ig SixlYtudebaker touring car, a huge Packard coupe, a V e.1 MilIs-St. Claire cabriolet and, of course, his favorite, the "Mupl>edan. There was even a worm gear-driven Model T among his trucks, but John had never been in a C it. Mr. Wilson finally prevailed upon him to let himself at least be shown the new 9 car's controls, however; and my grandfather started the engine and drove out of the I; showroom with no mishap. The automobiles agency's staff, all huddled at the door, stared anxiously after him. L John drove to his residence on South Boulevard in fine style, enjoying, perhaps, li' the novelty of doing something new, daring, different. Wi 11 iam Henry A1 len was v the master of men, women, horses, and motor-driven vehicles. It was ridiculous for anyone to assume he couldn't drive this plebian automotive eqiupage, some- thing hardly more compl icated than a wheel barrow. He drove into his driveway and on into the garage; his "man'' had opened the door earlier. At this point a Model f pecul iarity came into play: when its clutch was depressed beyond the ha1 f-way point, the car was in -low gear. John knew this -- he had practiced stops and starts on the way home -- but his reflexes were not yet conditioned by habitual use in this vehicle to act automatically under stress. The garage rear wall loomed before him, and he pressed harder, frantically on both clutch and brake. The low gear overrode the brake (that was normal for the "T") and John drove on -- right through that wall. I was not there at that moment, fortunately so. When Mr. Allen was wroth, it was well for boys, dogs, and chickens to be out of sight. It is safe to say, though, that the air in that garage turned blue. John had a large vocabulary. When he was in a condition of vehemance, his remarks could be heard several doors down the street. He had lost his composure for the moment but not his ability to act. With deadly coolness and great aplomb, Mr. A3 len backed out of the wreckage and drove the car back to Wilson Petit", Model Tk sere a sturdy breed; the bumpers were highly resilient, projecting well ahead of the radiator on heavy spring steel, and the frame was quite strong. John's "T" suffered hardly a scratch. He drove the automobile into the shop, got out, and walked away from the agency without a word of explanation. He didn't even ask for his money back. Only by discrete inquiry did Mr. Wilson ever learn what happened. My grandmother suppl jed the detail s -- a 1i ttle gleefully, perhaps. Months later, Mr. Wilson obliquely approached John concerning the subject: a magnificent new "Banker's Special" Lincoln V-8 had just arrived at Wilson-Petit's, and would Mr. A1 len deign to inspect it? This luxurious vehicle had its own air compressor and hose with a pressure gauge attached for tire inflation; it had a concealed bar behind the front seat; all the rear windows had pull -down shades; flower vases adorned each door post; the seats and backrest were upholstered in soft velvet; a?1 floor coverings were of an kl e-deep velour; and the clincher , the steering wheel could be flipped back to allow a gentleman of generous pro- portions to enter the driver's seat without inconvenience.