Lamar State College-Port Arthur A Member of The Texas State University System Expressions Spring 2006 Volume XX Dedication Rita will never let us forget. Signs of her visit are ubiquitous. Destruction takes much less time than construction. I will not live to see the replacement trees which are planted grow to the height and stature of those that were lost. The scenery of our cities has changed forever; however, as in most tragedies, we as a people are determined to replace, restore, and adapt ourselves as survivors must. Rita may have come, but we will conquer. It is to those who are striving to make the community as well as their own lives better that we dedicate this edition of Expressions magazine. Sally Byrd Editor Rita’s Touch A tree fell and with it went An old man’s pride And a young girl’s dreams i Expressions 2006 Student Winners SHORT STORY First Place The Qutavi Bridge Incident ................. William H. Davis, Jr. Second Place An Editor’s Correspondence ................ William H. Davis, Jr. Third Place The Box .......................................................... Alfred Roberts Honorable Mention Arlie and Nizbit. ......................................... R. A. Flowers, III Ms. Nature Said ................................................. Keith Demps Unplugged ........................................... Waymon Stepeherson ESSAY First Place Let Nazis Speak ............................................. John D. Jorden Second Place Grunts and Spooks ......................................... John D. Jorden Third Place In Defense of Conservative Federalism ..... Robert Shane Orr Honorable Mention Man’s Wild Heart ................................. William H. Davis, Jr. Hurricanes ......................................................... Keith Demps POETRY First Place Burn No More ...................................... William H. Davis, Jr. Second Place The Vixen ............................................. William H. Davis, Jr. Third Place Lady Luck ............................................ William H. Davis, Jr. ii POETRY Honorable Mention Music Man .............................. James Wesley Schexnider Addicted ................................................ La’Darrian Wade Time ................................................ Liliana D. Contreras Tear Drops ................................................... Joshua Payne What Keeps Me Going ........................... Devan Callihan The Coming Storm ......................... William H. Davis, Jr. Enveloped ..............................................Michael Highfill LITERARY CRITIQUE First Place Masculine & Feminine Love as Seen in Medea .............. Tara Schrieber Second Place The Ruin of Abortion ........................... Melony Williams Third Place Am I a Murderer? .......................... William H. Davis, Jr. Honorable Mention Dr. Jekyell and Mr. Hyde ............... William H. Davis, Jr. Wait for Me .................................... William H. Davis, Jr. The Sadness of Our Society ..................... Debbie Stehlik SPECIAL CATEGORY-Funded and Sponsored by: Phi Theta Kappa Gold, Gods and Glory: The Global Dynamics of Power ... Bruce White HURRICANE RITA-ESSAY First Place The Eye of the Hurricane ................... Fabiola Villanueva Second Place Rita ........................................................... Debbie Stehlik Third Place Anticipation Along with Dread ........ Gwendolyn McFate iii HURRICANE RITA-ESSAY Honorable Mention Opening the Door to Devastation ... Kendriah Boudreaux Scars ........................................................ Jason Campbell After the Storm ........................................ Kendra Greene HURRICANE RITA-POETRY First Place End of Another Day ............................... April Arredondo Second Place The Wind Blows Harder Through the Night ................... Walter Durham Third Place If I Were a Hummingbird .................... Anastacia Gordon Honorable Mention The Queen of the Season ................. Tshitenge Mutamba On a Warm Dark Night .................... Gwendolyn McFate COVER ART First Place ....................................................... Joseph Torres Second Place .................................................. Lori DeRosier Third Place ..................................................... Kyle Haviland Honorable Mention ................................. William Simmons GENERAL ART First Place My Hero, Dad .......................................... David Lawhon Second Place ................................................. Phillip Trevino Third Place ........................................................ Shane Miller PHOTOGRAPHY First Place .................................................. April Arredondo Second Place ............................................... April Arredondo PUBLISHER’S AWARD Cover Art Second Place ................................ Lori DeRosier iv Table of Contents SHORT STORY Davis, William H., Jr. ................................................. 3, 8 Demps, Keith ............................................................... 23 Flowers, R.A., III ......................................................... 19 Roberts, Alfred ............................................................. 14 Stepeherson, Waymon .................................................. 25 ESSAY Davis, William H., Jr. ................................................... 39 Demps, Keith ............................................................... 41 Jorden, John D. ...................................................... 31, 34 POETRY Callihan, Devan ........................................................... 55 Contreras, Liliana ......................................................... 53 Davis, William H., Jr. ................................. 47, 48, 49, 56 Highfill, Michael .......................................................... 58 Payne, Joshua ............................................................... 54 Schexnider, James Wesley ........................................... 51 Wade, La’Darrian ......................................................... 52 LITERARY CRITIQUE Davis, William H., Jr. ....................................... 69, 72, 80 Orr, Robert Shane ........................................................ 75 Schrieber, Tara ............................................................. 63 Stehlik, Debbie ............................................................. 83 Williams, Melony......................................................... 66 SPECIAL CATEGORY-Funded and Sponsored by: Phi Theta Kappa White, Bruce ................................................................ 89 v HURRICANE RITA-ESSAY Boudreaux, Kendriah ................................................. 104 Campbell, Jason ......................................................... 108 Greene, Kendra ........................................................... 111 McFate, Gwendolyn ................................................... 101 Stehlik, Debbie ............................................................. 98 Villanueva, Fabiola ...................................................... 95 HURRICANE RITA-POETRY Arredondo, April ......................................................... 117 Durham, Walter ........................................................... 118 Gordon, Anastacia ....................................................... 119 McFate, Gwendolyn ................................................... 122 Mutamba, Tshitenge ................................................... 121 COVER ART DeRosier, Lori ................................................................ 2 Haviland, Kyle ............................................................. 44 Simmons, William ....................................................... 86 Torres, Joseph ......................................................... Cover GENERAL ART Lawhon, David ............................................................. 30 Miller, Shane ................................................................ 62 Trevino, Phillip ............................................................ 46 PHOTOGRAPHY Arredondo, April ..................................................... 13,40 vi FACULTY & STAFF Byrd, Sally ...................................................... i, 141, 143 Constantine, Delores .......................................... 124, 137 Gaspard, Damon James....................... 128, 132, 134,136 Gongre, Charles Dr. ............................... 82, 88, 107, 114 Judice, Michelle ......................................................... 130 Peeler, Robert ............................................................. 125 Polk, Janet G. .................. ix, 94, 116, 138, 140, 142, 146 Ross, Don ........................................... 127, 131, 133, 135 Rudd, Mysti................................................ 139, 144, 147 Thigpen, Albert Dr. .................................................... 129 vii Student Contributors Jamesia Alexander Kendra Greene Trang Pham Alcestis Arago Kayse Griffin Steven E. Presley April Arredondo Ryan Andrew Hanson Denisse Ramirez Veronica Batiste Kyle Haviland Alfred Roberts Kendriah Boudreaux Michael Highfill Lee Robinson Delenya Cadena Tyesha Hope James W. Schexnider Devan Callihan Renata Jacob Tara Schrieber Jason Campbell John D. Jorden William Simmons Alexis Castillo Charlotte Joseph Debbie Stehlik Dee Chamberlain Kristin Kelley Waymon Stepeherson Kevin Champagne Raymond Lake Travis Tallant Liliana D. Contreras David Lawhon Joseph Torres Derick Cooper Anthony