Red Wheelbarrow Student Edition 2020 Published with the generous assistance of the De Anza Student Body From 1976 to 1999 this magazine was known as Bottomfish, a name which referred to neglected, overlooked writing that had (metaphorically) fallen to the bottom of the sea. We hope that Red Wheelbarrow also signifies unpretentiousness and the casting of a wide net in search of new, exciting young writers as well as an ongoing commitment to originality, courage, and craft. Red Wheelbarrow publishes twice a year. The National Edition publishes literary and ar- tistic works from all over the country and the world. The Student Edition is open to De Anza students. We welcome submissions of all kinds, and we seek to publish a diverse range of styles and voices. We accept student submissions from September to mid-May and publish by the end of spring quarter. Poetry: submit up to five poems} Fiction: submit one short story (up to 5,000 words) or up to three flash fiction Drama: submit one play or screenplay (up to 5,000 words) Creative Nonfiction: submit one personal essay (up to 5,000 words) Photographs and Drawings: submit up to five b/w prints or digital files (.jpg, .tiff or .psd format); please do not send originals. Comics: submit one b/w strip Other: submit one! Preferably please submit text files in MS Word (.doc or .docx) format. Keep your name and contact information separate from the actual submission. All Red Wheelbarrow submissions are judged anonymously. Judges for all contests make their decisions independently. Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine De Anza College 21250 Stevens Creek Boulevard Cupertino, CA 95014-5702 Faculty Advisor, Student & National Editions: Ken Weisner Email contact: [email protected] Student edition single copy price: $12; back issues: $5. Excerpts and guidelines online at: http://www.deanza.edu/english/creative-writing/red-wheelbarrow.html Front Cover: Christina Wu, “Civilization v Nature Series, I” Back Cover: Christina Wu, “Civilization v Nature Series, III” Frontispiece: Alyanna Posadas, “Nobody Was Prepared” Copyright 2020 by Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine. ISSN 1543-1983 All rights revert to the author or artist. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without his or her express written permission. This magazine has no relationto Red Wheelbarrow Press or any other magazine or publisher with the same popular name. Editors Mariah Casas Gloria Delgado Crystal Flores Kimberly Johnson Aliya Nupbay Zachary Patti Irving Sanchez Fareed Shayek Kassandra Tejeda Annmarie Truong Annie Vu Michael Wallerius Faculty Advisor Ken Weisner CONTENTS Pamela Williams | Veils 8 Norman Aragones | Growing Up 9 Thanh Le | The Big Boy 10 Julia Shih | america the day it went cold turkey off prozac 11 Crystal Flores | America in Chains 13 Anthony Cortez | Work 14 Fareed Shayek | Afghan Rugs 15 Fareed Shayek | Sometimes I Wish I Could 16 Tiffany Le | Melodious Nocturne 18 Daniel Flores | Bliss 19 Jordan Covington | Lottery Ticket 20 Red Wheelbarrow Interview Feature: Community Voices after the Murder of George Floyd | Kassandra Tejeda 23 Allyson Tiongson | Bloodlines/Blood Trails 39 Kassandra Tejeda | The Last Good Day 40 Astred Luna | Draft Saved - [Subject: Empty] 42 Talia Garcia | This Kind of Love! 43 Kim Johnson | The Elephants in Vietnam... 44 Sara Robertson | Anxious 47 Sara Robertson | On the Topic of “Woman” 48 Astred Luna | Eurydice Does Not Exit 49 Julia Shih | The Boy I Lost to Dream 50 Pamela Williams | Dressing Room 52 Pamela Williams | Lullaby 54 Kassandra Tejeda | SNOW WHITE IS DEAD 55 Kim Johnson | Social Media Influencer Barbie 56 Art Folio I Christina Wu | Civilization v. Nature Series II 61 Thanh Le | #NOtoViolenceagainstWOMEN 62 Francesca Jassir | Palenquera 63 Angie Caputa | Shared Space 64 Chloe Benz | Anne 65 Alyanna Posadas | Restless Waters 66 Alyanna Posadas | Distorted Reality 67 Travis Wynn | Working Life I 68 Travis Wynn | Working Life II 69 Norman Aragones | The Coronavirus Pandemic Comic 70 Francesca Jassir | Untitled 72 Joel Shephard-Hawke | When an Angel Falls 73 Kassandra Inocencio | Untitled 78 Taylor Karns | Poe’s Monologue 79 Kate Kim | Hollywood Scars 80 Crystal Flores | Hourglass 82 Crystal Flores | Survivor 83 Kassandra Tejeda | You Wake Up Every Morning Shaking 84 John Dorrance | Damned Muse (art) 85 John Dorrance | Damned Muse (poem) 86 John Dorrance | What’s My Name? 87 Art Folio II John Dorrance | What’s My Name? (art) 91 Kamilla Yusupova | Embrace Yourself 92 Kamilla Yusupova | Calm and Quiet 93 Marie Serda | Diptych I 94 Marie Serda | Diptych II 95 Anton Nguyen | Point and Shoot 96 Norman Aragones | Family Portrait 97 Anton Nguyen | Life Source 98 Anton Nguyen | Corporate Care 99 Alyanna Posadas | I Belong 100 Karen Rivera-Cervantes | The never ending fight against my status 101 Norman Aragones | Grandmother Praying 105 Astred Luna | Alive 106 Juan Cruz | The Language of Feel and Touch 108 Kassandra Inocencio | The Night Envelops the Lovers ... 110 Julia Kolman | To F.–My Light, My Love 111 John Dorrance | Three Steps Before You Pet a Porcupine 112 Emmanuel Duran | Characteristics of a Sweet Honey Girl 115 Pamela Williams | Eighteen-Sixty 116 Kaitlyn Tramontana | Mining for Murder 117 Astred Luna | Hunger 127 Mayela Sanchez | It’s About Time 128 Pamela Williams | Years and Years 132 Theresa Mason | from Memoir 133 Aliya Nupbay | Falcon’s Wings 139 Victor | Kid of a Cop 142 Kassandra Tejeda | She looks so peaceful when she sleeps 144 Kaitlyn Tramontana | Liberation 145 Julia Shih | Wednesday Morning 146 Kamilla Yusupova | In a Garbage 157 Kim Johnson | Blues in the Key of Hummingbirds 158 Kevin Xu | Denial 160 Tanaz Saiyed | Information Society 162 Art Folio III Alyanna Posadas | A Typical Day 163 Ian Tong | Irithyll 164 Ian Tong | Mermaid 165 Casey Cosgrove | Character Sheet 166 André Zambrana | Colliding Dimensions 167 Thanh Le | Chasing the Horizon 168 Fareed Shayek | The New Judy Lin 169 Kassandra Tejeda | Galvanic Corrosion 175 Deven Sutaria | Riddle 29 176 Jesslyn Djaja | Running 177 Lamberto Diaz Diaz, Jr. | Elegy for My Sanctuary 181 Zach Patti | from The High School 182 Winner, 2020 Jim Luotto Prize for the Literary Essay Hannah Estolano | Double-Helix, Double-Consciousness: Character Doubles in “Fatherland” 186 Front Cover art: Christina Wu, “Civilization v Nature Series, I” Back Cover art: Christina Wu, “Civilization v Nature Series, III” Frontispiece: Alyanna Posadas, “Nobody Was Prepared” The 2020 Student Edition of Red Wheelbarrow is dedicated to: The Black Lives Matter Movement No justice, no peace. We are inspired to march and shout out together black lives matter and remember forever the names of the fallen. Read our interviw feature pp. 23-39: “Community Voices after the Murder of George Floyd” edited by Kassandra Tejeda ••• We also dedicate this issue to the memory of a great teacher, Jim Luotto, 1933-2020 Jim loved students and was a master teacher of literature and communications who also was a faculty advisor for the very first De Anza literary magazine, Inscape, in 1967. The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue By Geoffrey Chaucer Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote, The droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licóur Of which vertú engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes,Read and the yonge sonneHannah Estolano‘s Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with openfirst ye, prize essay, So priketh hem Natúre in hir corages, Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for towinner seken straunge strondes, of the inaugural To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially, from every shires ende Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly Jim blisful martir Luotto for to seke, Literary Essay Prize That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke. published here on pp. 186-190 From later in the Prologue, introducing the Clerk: Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre; But al that he myghte of his freendes hente On bookes and on lernynge he it spente, ••• And bisily gan for the soules preye Of hem that yaf hym wher-with to scoleye. Of studie took he moost cure and moost heede. Noght o word spak he moore than was neede; And that was seyd in forme and reverence, And short and quyk and ful of hy senténce. Sownynge in moral vertu was his speche; And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche. For those of you who wish to make a gift in Jim’s memory, we are encouraging folks to donate to the Foothill-De Anza Foundation, where your gift will be designated to support De Anza College’s financial aid contingency fund as well as The Jim Luotto Writing Award given by the English Department. It is particularly critical now more than ever that students have access to emergency grants for their educational and basic needs. The Financial Aid Contingency Fund is a flexible and readily available source, and we also want to honor Jim’s incredible contributions to the English and Speech departments. You can make a tax-deductible donation online. Please remember to type Jim’s name in the “In Memory of” section of the form: https://secure.donationpay.org/fhda/ You can also send a check in Jim’s memory to: FHDA Foundation, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022. Veils Pamela Williams I have learned to view myself through a veil of gossamer, Its delicacy in contrast with what is softened by its presence. All stiffness hidden, all rot, dimples and rutty complexion. All darkness of thought, gleam of youth All blooming starry-eyed visions of the rail.