West Georgia Technical College’s Creative Arts Magazine 2010 Volume VII Editors: Jennifer Jiles Carol Pearson Lauren Lunk Pam Sanders Kyle Taylor, Editor‐in‐Chief Student Editors: Julie McKenzie Doris Sudduth Ashleigh Mills Ben Wood FWS Student Assistants: Wanda Lumpkin Renee’ Keeton West Georgia Technical College annually publishes its magazine, VOICES. While the college encourages submissions from students, staff, faculty, and others specified in the submission guidelines, submission does not guarantee publication. While the editors make every effort to represent the diversity of the college, not all submissions are published due to content and space considerations. VOICES retains copyrights to all materials and non‐exclusive rights to publish all works in any format. All material is copyrighted to protect WGTC and to exclude others from republishing contributors’ works without their permissions. However, all contributors retain the rights to their own works and the rights to publish their submissions elsewhere. All opinions expressed represent the opinions of the individual contributors, not the opinions of VOICES, the editors, or WGTC. The editors wish to thank President Skip Sullivan and the administration of WGTC. Our thanks also go to the students, staff, and faculty of WGTC for their support. Specific thanks go to Angela Benjamin and the WGTC Update, Carla Bradley, the Carroll Campus Maintenance Staff, Ben Chambers, Angie Caldwell, Dawn Cook, Diane Corso, Wayne Driver, Cindy English, Wanda Foster and the Conference Center Staff, Bill Grizzard, Special Consultant Darren Hunt, Debra Jeter, Sandy Kelshaw, Chuck Lawhon, Traci Lewis, Mary McClung and Library staff on all campuses, Nancy Norred, the One‐Stop staff, Dianne Parrish, Joey Sanders, Ken Smith, Tonya Sparkman, Amy Steadham, the Student Affairs staff, Subrena Thompson, Angela Warner, Robin Witcher, and Someone’s Mom and Dad. Cover Art: “The Secret Window” by Frank Karycinski Title Page Art: “Art or Part?” by Jim McNair Prize Winners: First Prize Art First Prize Poetry First Prize Prose “The Invincible Anita” “Nightfall” “It’s All in the Bowl” Lisa Lynn Ramos April Whitt Sunshine Smith Second Prize Art Second Prize Poetry Second Prize Prose “Bluebird Family” “Pea Soup” “A Sixteen‐Acre Farm” Frank Karycinski Linda Geiger Marie Gibson Third Prize Art Third Prize Poetry Third Prize Prose “Man Reading Book “Desire” “Russian Airways” While Sitting” Janai’ Pyant Krista Carroll Kevin Brock All work appears in the exact form it was submitted; any brilliance contained herein is solely the responsibility of the individual contributors. West Georgia Technical College is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia As set forth in its student catalog, West Georgia Technical College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, gender, religion, disability, age, political affiliation or belief, veteran status, or citizenship status (except in those special circumstances permitted or mandated by law). Equity (Title IX) coordinator is V.P. of Student Services, ADA (Section 504) coordinator is V.P. of Administrative Services. Both are located at 176 Murphy Campus Blvd., Waco, Georgia. 770.537.6000 ii Table of Contents Poetry 1 “Survival Guide” Audria Smith 2 “A Measure of Wealth” Linda Geiger 3 “Eight Brown Eyes” Breanna Megan Gosdin 3 “Abide” Yolanda Faith Murray 4 “Man’s Best Friend” John Ridley 5 “Desire” Janai’ Pyant 6 “The Road” Audria Smith 7 “Of One Accord” Linda Geiger 7 “Mother” Darleen Edwards 8 “The Last Goodbye” April Whitt 9 “In Remembrance” Sarah Billiter 10 “My Window” Yolanda Faith Murray 11 “In My Eyes, When I was Five, Rickey A. Estvanko 12 He was There” “My Journey to Success” Charday Robinson 14 “A Car Wreck” Tracey Deanne Keaton 14 “Décor” Kyle Taylor 15 “Inside Out” Madelyn Warrenfells 15 “Drive … I’m Trying … Drive” Myra Little 16 “Pea Soup” Linda Geiger 16 “Nightfall” April Whitt 17 “The Not‐so‐Funny Joke” Janai’ Pyant 18 “Midnight Feeding” Kyle Taylor 19 “Ode to ANGEL” Carol Pearson 20 Art 21 “The Invincible Anita” Lisa Lynn Ramos 21 “Peaceful Road” Diego A. Rangel 22 “Glass Angel” Angie Hanner 23 “Bluebird Family” Frank Karycinski 24 “Past and Present” Dawn Daniel 25 “Other Faces in the Mirror” Sindi McGowan 26 “Oceanside Resting Place” Alicia Milner 27 “Kudu Stare” Eddie Gore 28 “Hightower Falls” Pat Daigle 29 “Time Marches On” Britney Morris 30 iii “It Is True What They Say: Karen Freeman 31 They are Slow” “Art or Part?” Jim McNair 32 “Say ‘Hello’ to My Little Friend” Alicia Milner 33 “Sunrise” Sarah Coleman 34 “Morning Dew” April Jennings 35 “Rock Fish” Frank Karycinski 36 “Lady Sleeping on the Couch” Doris Sudduth 37 “Hints of a Logo” Lauren Lunk 38 “Adios” Lisa Lynn Ramos 39 “Jesus” Deborah Pilgrim 40 “Man Reading Book Kevin Brock 41 While Sitting” “The Secret Window” Frank Karycinski 42 Prose 43 “The White Guy” Micah Davis 44 “One Regret” Frank Rogers 46 “Ocean Air in Your Nostrils” Jeanette Pollard 47 “Of Windmills and Beauty” Jake Salyards 48 “The Twelve Steps of Recovery” Brittany Edwards 50 “Love’s Journey” Kevynn Alex Case 53 “Russian Airways” Krista Carroll 54 “Bearing Arms” Candi Dominick 58 “Jamona (Old Maid)” Lisa Lynn Ramos 59 “Open Your Eyes” Jake Salyards 63 “The Fishers” Aubrey Turner 65 “It’s All in the Bowl” Sunshine Smith 66 “Mom’s Day” Doris Sudduth 68 “A Sixteen‐Acre Farm” Marie Gibson 70 Contributors’ Notes 74 iv Poetry Kyle Taylor Of all of the creative arts, poetry is the most difficult to define. Indeed, for much of human history, poetry has accompanied humankind as our method of expressing feelings about and reactions to the world around us. It is, perhaps, more useful to define what poetry is not. Poetry is not something available to only a select few. Poetry is not confined to dusty books in dark corners of large libraries on the campuses of major universities. Poetry is not the business solely of bearded and bespectacled professors encaved in their offices. Poetry is not worthless. Poetry is not beyond you, nor is it a waste of your time. Poetry is the soul’s attempt to make a statement in such a way that normal words or sentences simply would not do justice. But, as the annual thousands of rejection letters received by aspiring poets across the nation from poetry journals suggest, not everyone can be a poet. The realm of the professional poet is, perhaps, a space that is beyond most of us. Poetry, however, is not the exclusive purview of the poet. Anyone can write poetry. You can write poetry. The first thing you should do is read good poetry. You do not need to do this in order to copy or even emulate what you read. You need to read good poetry so you can determine for yourself what makes poetry good for you. Some folks like Emily Dickinson or Langston Hughes. Others prefer Seamus Heaney or Robert Penn Warren. Still others like Denise Levertov or Nikki Giovanni. You can always decide for yourself. In the end, though, all one needs to write a good poem is the ability to see past the expectations held by most people as to what poems must be. Poems do not have to rhyme; I assure you, they do not have to rhyme. Poems do not have to follow a set pattern, but they can. Poems do not have to use the most flowery and artistic language. What poems must do is touch the readers’ souls. A good poem reaches its readers in such a way that an image, a sense, or a feeling lingers with that reader for minutes, moments, hours, days, and lifetimes. A reader’s mind returns to the idea time and time again that was found in a good poem. If you can capture these things in just one poem in your entire lifetime, you will find the true definition of poetry. A good poem persuades the reader that it is a good poem through its connection to that reader’s mind, body, and soul. A good place to start, however, is your own soul. 1 “Survival Guide” Audria Smith Life is hard. Someone should've wrote a book about it, "A Hard Life for Dummies." They have all kinds of books out there, on How to Survive This, Don't Do That, How to Find The Right Soulmate, etc.... But the one book I can't find is "How to Survive Life." This world we live in seems to get harder every day. It's always something new we learn along the way. This generation seems harder than the last: our parents telling us how to walk and talk. our schools telling us to learn this and how to that, bosses always in your face sayin' do this and don't do that. Everywhere you turn, you're having to learn or do something. Where is our survival book? Where is our guide showing us the way? So, the next time you’re looking for a book, look for a survival book on life. When you do, yell it to the rest of us, so we too will know; "How to Survive Life." 2 “A Measure of Wealth” Linda Geiger I measure wealth in children’s faces, Bowed heads murmur mealtime graces, Hard‐pressed kisses reach my cheek From tip‐toed stance on tiny feet. Eight hours a day against my will, I so indulge to pay my bills For money which there from derived Cannot my greatest pleasure buy. “Eight Brown Eyes” Breanna Megan Gosdin eight brown eyes o what they do hold what hath four sets but come from one soul brown like the earth of motherly nurture with beauty not common but with light that is pure o each so different but one as a whole are the four sets of brown that comes from one soul 3 “Abide” Yolanda Faith Murray Abide with me I heard you say as silence filled your air leaving me in emptiness alone in misery and despair Dwell with me within the moments you whispered quietly still as death unveiled its plan to me your life and love to steal The gentleness of your touch, it selfishly pulled away The warmth of your heart, the light to guide my way The essence of your being is the embodiment of grace but that has faded far from view hurt and pain have come to stay Leaving me with madness drowning me in pain Left to ask the question Who will mend my broken ends who shall enchant my heart and make me believe again..