a magazine devoted to the literary and visual arts
sponsored by student activities
william rainey harper college
in cooperation with the communications division
and art department
Table of Contents
·2
" A Fawn Li es Alone "
Linda Kinkel
13
Sctatchboa rd
Derr Steadman
·3
" The Accide nt"
14
" T he T ruck s"
Jeff Boa rini
.4
Past el
Janet Altmaier
Grap hite
·4
" Lay It Down For a Tired
" Testi monial" .
Jeff Boarini
Pastel
Janet Altmaier
23
" Robot Shortage"
24
Don Bimmerle
Thomas P. Carroll
15
Pen & Ink
J. Antos
25
Graphite and Cont e
26
16
Jeff Tu rek
" Cats"
Jackie Cam p ana
26
16
17
" And Now You Are Gone"
Linda K inkel
27
Graphite
William Calkins
Conte
27
" Teacher of the Deaf"
17
Nancy L ickee
18
Linda Kinkel
18
Sandy Mack
19
Commuter"
Carol yn Gorr
29
19
Tempera
Trudy Sedlak
29
Ink & Graphite
30
20
Betsy Maas
10
" Th e First Day of Sc hool at th e
End o f Summer" .
Joe Pesz
Pen & Ink
John T. Bernar d
20
11
Graphite
21
11
Diane O 'Dea
Sandra Kunz
Man Blues" .
Michael D . McF eggan
Gr aph it e
Linda Ballu we tt
·5
Watercolor & Graphite
Lynette F ranz
"So n of a Fi sherm an"
Bob Pu tman
·6
Graphite a nd Co nte
.6
Tim Timm ik e
Caro lyn Go rr
"Sil ence"
Tim J. Hemmerling
·1
" A Love Song"
"The End of a Crush"
28
Carolyn Gorr
" And Still I Mourn th e Poets Dead"
·8
Richard E. Sh eppard
Tempera
Graphite and Conte
28
Bob Ressl er
Graph ite
Diane O'Dea
·8
" Observations of the Weary
"The Commander"
Don Bimmerle
Li tho graph
·9
Rhonda Banne r
Ink Wash
Linda Clary
"Togeth er" .
·9
Joe Pesz
" The Thr eat"
John Jesensky
Ink Wash
" Yo u Don 't Know Noth in'
Nomore"
31
John Patrick Wall
Ma rk Tabac
G ra phite and Con t e
Watercolor
31
Yvonne Nickohch
John T. B ernard
" And Cygnus. th e Swan . Shall HELP ME "
" On T ime" .
12
Linda Kinkel
12
Sydney Barton
22
Pho tograph
31
Jan White
Joh n Jesensk y
Pen & Ink
Photograph
22
Haiku
32
Scott Ellio tt
Dave Sorenson
" Breakfast in Bed "
Graphite
Sydney Barto n
13
Keith M . Tracy
23
Graphite & Conte
Holly Nordhaus
32
Testimonial
by Jeff Boarini
The letter had been sitt i ng on the desk
und er a broc hure for Rancho L a Topo
for t w o days. And now Jake was fina ll y
ope ni ng it . He ri pped the end from t he
envel ope , rem oved th e letter, and sta rt ed rec1ding. " I re ne!" he ye ll ed , "Li sten
to this, t hey' re go nna give me a testi mon ial!"
ot hers, b ut the fun had left his j ob .
T hat was twe lve yea rs ago, b ut it di dn't
seem t hat l o ng to Jake. H e st ill lik ed
hi s j ob and wor k ed hard at it. It was
easy t o ma k e a mi st ake and
Jake 's w i fe came up from the basement
w ith a t ab lec lot h ove r one arm . " What
d id y ou say, d ea r?" I rene sa id as she
spread t he cloth over t he k i tc hen ta bl e.
"W hat?" he sa id ab ruptl y, st ill a li tt le
st artl ed.
"A t estimonia l. T he company is givi ng
me a test imon ia l nex t mont h when I
ret ire."
"Wei' how nice of t hem ," sa id Irene.
"They certai n l y can 't say you don 't
deserve it. T hirty -f ive yea rs with the
sarr P company is no littl e t h i ng."
"Jake! " Irene' s vo ice retu rn ed Jake
f rom his journey.
" I sa id w hat d ate is it?" Irene b ega n.
U nawa re o f the top ic , Jak e rep lied ,
" What date is w hat ?"
"Th e t esti mo nial. Wh at is th e dat e next
m o nth?" she ask ed for th e second time.
"Oh , o h , the fou rteenth, a Satu rday ,"
sa id Jake , fina ll y comprehend i ng Irene's
questi o n.
"Yea," sa id Jake. "I was k inda hop ing
Hi s w ife was m end ing a soc k as sh e utt hey 'd do someth ing li ke this b ut I rea l - tered th e questi on t hat had to b e as k ed,
ly di d n't expect it ." Jake wand ered int o " I wonder w hat t hey 'll give you."
the living room w ith the letter i n h is right
hand. He sat in the overstuffed chair
Jake didn't wa nt to specu late at f irst,
and looked at the rec t ang le of paper.
he w as afrai d o f gett ing his hop es u p
It was signed b y R. M . B rewst er, Jr.,
t oo high . But hi s i ma ginati o n was not
himself.
to be th wa rted . " I rea ll y don' t kn ow,"
came t o hi s mi nd. He did n't get anyt hi ng , not eve n a nice letter . A l most
f ifty yea rs o f work and he d id n' t get
a thing.
But that was Mr. Rodo ph o li s, not hi m .
He w as getting a t estim o ni al. It didn't
have to be anythi ng b ig he t ho ught it's t he t hought behind it. He was glad
that his compa ny cared eno ugh abo ut
him to t ak e t he tim e. But th en Jak e began thinking o f Larry Kem ma n and a
ca r, and how nice it would b e t o own
a new one. Past experi ence t r ied t o snap
h im back to the livi ng room, b ut it was
too lat e. Jake was alread y t urn ing d own
T alb ot street.
Jak e wo re h is best b rown suit. He looked
at h is p rof ile in the mi rror. It wasn't
too bad for a sixty-f ou r yea r old man .
A nd he st ill hall m ost o f hi s hair, even
th o ugh it was a m ot t led gray. I ren e
l oo ked good t oo , he th o ught. She'd
bee n to the beauty pa r lo r tha t afternoon. As usual , her hair looked di fferent to hi m, but he cou ldn't rea ll y say
w hat was c hanged . Jake p ut o n h is
dress top-coat, helped I rene into her
sto le, and they w ere ready to leave.
But just on a w hi m, Irene decided to
he bega n. "When Larr y Kemma n , one
get al ong w ithout her glasses. T he d i nJake b egan to th i nk back, of when he
of t he d irectors, ret ired, he got a car,
ner was bei ng held at t he company d i nappli ed for a job as a lens gri nder at the a b i g o ne too ."
ing room . Jake and I rene arr ived w it h
R.M . B rewst er Co rpo rat i on. T he pe rso nfifteen m inutes t o spa re , b ut t hey d rove
nel manage r had lik ed hi m and hired
around the block f or t en minutes b eIrene bega n to say so methin g, but Jak e
him that very day. H e grin ned as he
wasn 't li st ening. He w as t hinkin g o f Larry ca use Jake d idn't wa nt to be too ea rl y .
remembered some happy mom ent. He
Kemman and h is car. He bega n t h i n king As t hey entered, t hey we re greeted by
had w orked in that posit i on for f i fteen
of ot her peopl e he k new w ho had rea loud burst of app lause. Jake was stunned
for a m ome nt; there were almost
years. When the fo reman d ied , Mr.
cei ved t esti monials. Walt Ceznof sk i fi f t y peopl e, Then he b lu shed , smil ed,
Brewster asked hi m if he wo uld t ak e
he got a co l or t.v. , not t o menti o n a
ove r as f o rem an of t he lens sho p. Jak e
hell of a pension . Or his b ro ther Du ane. and moved into the c rowd to shak e
chuckled as he tho ught o f t he ti mes he
hand s. Jake and Irene mingled w ith
Th e insu ra nce compa ny had se nt him
other gu est s until d in ner was served.
and I rene had gone to Mr. Brewster's
o n a ro und -t he-world cru ise. Man o h
house for pa rt ies. But after Mr. Brewster man, he t houg ht, Irene wou ld rea ll y
Irene c lasped hi s hand as they sat at
died , the shop lost a certa i n feel ing. He
t he center of a u-shaped group o f t ables.
love t hat. Bill Potts got a b ig pensi o n
couldn't joke and laugh w ith th e othe r
As the cat erers se rved th e chic ken, peas ,
also . Th at wo uld be great . Th ere was
a cotta ge in Wisco nsin Jak e had had his
mas hed pota toes, and tossed sa lad, Jak e
d irectors lik e he'd been ab le t o w it h
eye on . But Mr. Rodo ph o li s su dden l y
bega n t o f eel somet hing was w ro ng.
Mr. Brewst er . He got al ong w ith t he
2
They finished eating and relaxed for a
moment. Mr. Felton got up, congratulated Jake, said a few words, and introduced the president, Mr. R.M. Brewster,
Jr.
As Mr. Brewster was beginning to speak,
Jake slowly realized it was he who was
out of place. He looked around the tables.
He knew most of the people's names, but
for many that was all. These weren't
the people he worked with. Where was
Louis? He and Louis had worked together for seven years. They ate lunch
together every day. When Jake went on
vacation, it was Louis who took over
as foreman. They played bridge at home,
went fishing sometimes. Where was he?
Or Ramirez? Where was Ramirez? He
had known Ramirez for four years.
When Ramirez' wife was sick. he had
lent him money until he could pay it
back. And Ramirez wasn't here. Or
Ashton, Pacini, Dole, and Ensalvo. How
come his men from the shop weren't
here? The foremen of the other shops
were here. The accountants. the board
of directors, the vice presidents, and
the president were here. It was clear to
Jake- his associates were invited; his
friends were not. Mr. Brewster was just
finishing his remarks. He then called
for Jake to come over to the podium.
He shook Jake's hand and strained to
make up the foot difference in their
height so he could put his beefy arm
around Jake's shoulder. "In appreciation for thirty-five years of service,"
began Mr. Brewster, "we would like
you, Jake Hackman, to have this seven
day clock bearing this inscription:
'To Jake Hackman, an outstanding
worker and truly fine man.' "
jar over the clock . The glass fell to the
floor, shattering into thousands of fragments. Mr. Brewster became scarlet as
he began picking up some of the larger
pieces. He attempted to apologize, but
Jake stopped him short, saying calmly,
"It's quite all right," and pausing for a
moment, really it is."
Derr Steadman
The audience began clapping as Mr.
Brewster began handing the clock t o
Jake. He brushed the clock ever so
lightly against the edge of the podium,
but it was enough to brea k the glass bell
3
The Trucks
bv Jeff Boarini
The t rucks are o n the h ighw ay.
Dri v ing f ro m city to c ity.
Laci ng the w ho le nation li ke an
o vergrown strin g figure.
Diesel cowboys o n the move .
Ro ll ing int o so ng and st o ry
w ith a t we l ve t o n oversize hau l.
a No D oz in eac h c hee k .
D inosaurs w ith overdri ve.
D ua l air-ho rns and fift een gears.
On e, clutc h. T wo . c lutch . Th ree , c lut ch . Fo ur, clu tc h.
The hu m m ing o f t he road .
Pet erb u il t. Mac k.
Freigh tl iner. White.
L oadstar. K enworth .
~
Q} ()
Sandra K unz
4
2>
Th e trucks are on the h ighway.
T railer , piggyback, and flatbed.
Fourteen tires and a sleeper box .
Home with a steering wheel.
D iamond REO .
Linda Ballu wet t
5
Son of a Fisherman
by Bob Putm an
Y o u ng Ramashiva ente red the forest
in searc h o f the o ld, w ise o ne. He w as
an anc ient priest th at was to be found
in raja- m editat i on und er the boughs o f
a large fir. Ramashiva , a boy of twelve,
had rece nt ly left the home o f his f ather,
w ho lived o n t he seas ho re. H is fath er
. h
b
h b
.
was a f IS er m an ut t e oy was mter h'
If
.
. f ' d'
est ed o n Iy 1n 1n mg 1mse . Ramash 1va
bega n walki ng t h ro ugh the co u ntrysid e
near t o the sea, wo r k in g his way f arther
into t he co ntinent, w ith frequent stops
f or m edi tati o n, ref lecti o n, and m aybe
a bit t o eat . Each he met, he asked,
"Have yo u found th e self yet, oh virtu ous o ne?" Many repli ed a simple, "N o ."
"Go od morn ing, little on e, w hat d o
yo u w ish t o share w ith an eld er ?"
Ram ashi va resumed hi s fr ee th o ught :
" T o move is to be transf o r med by each
scen e, eac h person; wh ile t o lear n is to
"How may ! f i nd my se l f, oh wise one?"
th e boy bowed .
ref lect upon that whi ch w e exper ience.
I care not t o know all things, for that
is a game I leave t o th ose w ho put th em selves ab ove others, f o r th ose w ho f ea r
t o lerance , and tho se w h ose games t each
us alth o ugh they are i nt end ed f o r other
p urposes. I end eavor t o l ive an d exper ience, and m ost o f all to open th e self
t o all v iewp oi nts and ideas. If there is to
to be a ro pe t o cl i mb , if I am t o see k
something m ore . let m e r emember th at
I am o ne and one is o nly left w ith him sel f . I ch oo se t o h umbl e myself to no
man and y et to remain o n th e same
p lan e w ith all men, t hat of ex istence."
T he o ld m an nodded peacefull y and
·
sm il ed. He said no thing
·
" Ach ievThe b oy we nt o n
ing my ow n p lane, my ow n leve l o f sel f recogniti on, t hat's all there is. But t hen,
o nce on e has ac hi eved his self is th ere
nowhere t o go ?"
Th e o ld man nodd ed aga i n.
In on e tow n he was to ld of an o ld , w ise
on e , 1at f asted out in t he f o rest ; " Go
ask t h is pri est ."
Here he was , d eep into the shad ow o f
t he forest. A si ngle beam def o l iated a
small c learing ahead, u nd er w h ich a
robed ma n sat . Ramas hi va approac hed
hi m in sil ence , so th at he wo uld no t
disturb the deep con centrati on o f t he
wi se one. He stood bef o re t he pr iest f or
t wenty m inutes befor e h e w as noti ced.
" Ma y Ram ashi va co ntinu ed
be t hen th ere is nowhere t o f oll ow and
ever ywhere to lead . I am a leaf, spun
ove r and over aga in in red s and gree ns
o f springs and su mmers . I am a t ree
d rawing life f rom the earth itse lf , and
reac hing out t o the stars . Bu t most o f
all , I am m e, a one , an o nl y in times th at
try . Moving is m y d irect ion, m o ving and
learning . Is that not good, oh w ise o ne?"
Th e o ld man smi led.
T he o ld m an bowed hi s h ead. Ramashi va
wond ered w hat t o say next, sho uld he
ask t he w ise ma n w h y h e sat al one?
He sud d en l y remem b ered.
"Wh at am I t o stri ve f o r , o h w i se on e,
w hat am I to do w it h my life? What
am I t o be? "
"I t is simp le," t he old o n e rep li ed,
"You are t o be the so n o f a fisherm an."
Tim Timm ike
6
Silence
by Tim J. Hemmerling
Not h ing
Permeates the bondage
Of so li tude and si lence
Loneliness and desperation are despised
A lone
Contemp lat i on on prethought ideas
L istlessness of li fe, now or never
Fr iend less, fee li ngs of persons i did know
Sounds
Unadhering to the foggy dreams
I n a sea of insane repetition
Of the graysky night, fee li ng the si lence
Alone
Fee l the thick ness of silence
The sound of my heart in the desolation
7
And Still I Mourn the Poets Dead
by Richard E. Sheppard
I miss the age that didn't last and mourn t he
poets of the past;
The p rinted page is left to save, the Keats
and Yeats not in the grave.
There are too many empty heads, that are void
of w h'3t the poets said;
But on we wa l k i n ign orance an d st ill I
mou r n th e poets dead .
A native of the Catholic seat, t he man was
born to dwel l ,
But still he damned their earthly kings and
sent their pompous heads to He ll.
We pick up wo r ks and t ravel t h rough h is
trinity o f lands;
Our l ives cou ld b ut u n rave l if w e read and
understand.
The roads don't end in Italy, singing out
fror'1 other sho res.
Are t he greater days of England and the men
of greater lore
The> :' we have had the chance to meet in the
passing of our days.
T hei' wo rds glow t hr ough th e d ecades like
Promet heus thro ugh th e haze.
With Shel ley 's "Wo r lds on Wo rl ds" and Yeat s'
b ird on f li ght
They told us how to break the rings and what
we'd have to fight .
Long gone now is al l our t ime,
Two thousand yea rs h as passed by f ast .
Now t wo t ho usand more of end less c rim e,
T he change is ta ki ng place at last.
M cny shall be ma r ked as h is ow n
Bv three imperfect numbers;
The rest shall all approach the throne
Of heaven's golden slumbers.
T he wo rl d's li v ing u p the yea rs t hat are
its last ,
Whi le I go on and mourn t he poets past .
And though t hey held the futu re in the ir
heads
I'm still compelled to mourn the poets dead.
8
Diane O'Dea
Together
by Joe Pesz
So how can a man.
Can I,
Know of a thousand thoughts
Apart, the same.
Together?
And all that's there
With all that has been
And all that may be.
Apart. the same.
Together.
You look for the problem.
I look f or t he cu re.
Yo u l oo k to help me,
I l o ok to lo o k.
With all th at is al one
A nd each that never sees another.
Yet I must take it all,
Pretend ing that I know and have it all.
Toget her.
Rhonda Bannet
9
The Threat
by John Jesensk y
In the awesome records of history. it
can rightfully be claimed that one of
America's preciously unique features
is its Constitution. and, more part icula rly, th 8 amendments that constitute the
Bill of Rights. In it. our founding fathers
saw f i r to list the freedoms basic to every
human being; and first on that treasured
list w as freedom of speech. Nowhere in
the w orld does there exist a people so
boldly outspoken. so undaunted by
governmental pressure as here in the
U.S. A . Yet, as solidly guaranteed as
these freedoms are. a frighteningly scant
jars of "Peanut Butter"- a silent, cunning, calculating and shockingly effective army of The Enemy that is steadily
slowing down and sea ling shut the minds
and mouths of m illi ons of our youth
today. But don't my word tor itgo ahead, go out and try to talk to a
member of the Young Generat ion your-
the need for immediate action to insure
that the silent majority of tomorrow be
silent by their own choice, I urge you
to write to your co ngressmen; write to
your senators today. Tell them that you
want something done about the murkey
mastic that is masoning closed America's
future. Tell them that you want them to
self. See what k i nd of answers you get- suppo rt House-Senate Joint Bi ll number
if you get any at ali i While many among 5.436,539.002 that calls for a gradua l
us seek the simple answers-Dope, or
w ithdrawal from peanut butter, accomfag Commie" Rock" music-we fai l to
panied by Jamization-the mandatory
see that the millions of jars of that Poison purchase of two pounds of preserves
Paste of Hades that we bought and fed to with every pound of peanut butter sold
number of Americans are aware of the
them permanently bonded their lips tounti l January fi rst. Thereafter. possession
fact that one of the largest, most om ingether ! I I
of peanut butter would become a Federal
offense punishab le by fines and/or im ous threats to their candid lifestyle expr isonment. Act today-right now-before
ists today in one of the most ingeniously Yes. my friends. the horrib le truth is
any more of our little pearls c lam up for
subversive forms that the criminal mind
that they've been trying for years to tell
good.
has vat devised: peanut butter.
us things that we cou ld understand but
they can not I
Yes . my fri ends, lin ing the shelves of
every supermarket. grocery store and
corner deli across the land are millions
Now then, if you feel as strongly about
By the way. have you said anything worthof gaily colored, innocently packaged
this Tan Menace as I do; if you , too. feel whi le lately7
Mark Tabac
10
John T. Bernard
11
On Time
b v John Jesensk v
A day is a fractional unit of t he interval
sca le that is used to gauge succeeding
eve nts in th e u niverse. It is based upon
the astronomica l phenomenon that our
p lanet rotates on its axis, altern ate ly
exp os ing a given portion of its su rface
t o sun light an d interstellar darkn ess, in
a cycl ic pattern. Th is is science .
A d ay is one sixt h of th e time requi red
to crea te man's universe by an omn ipotent . om niscient being. Th is is re ligion .
A d ay is a fragment of that continuum
in wh ich ph ysical entiti es are perpetua ll y
being creat ed, modifi ed, deco mposed
and terminated . It is a component of
hum an life that is oft en trag icall y abused,
desp1te the know ledge that its passage
is irreversibl e. T his is personal b eli ef.
Dave Sorenson
12
f
I
I
L,__
'
I
t ift)
I
J,
- J
A f aw n li es al o ne i n fi eld s of green , cu r li ng
her legs and hiding her nose in the wa rm
secu r it y of her ow n b od y; d ark crev ices and
b lac k pat hs w ind al ong the gentl y cu r ved
shadows o f her soft st o mac h and graceful
legs-pat hs f amiliar and serene f or her,
unkn o wn and f oreboding to others;
A l one she li es and traces th ese d ark lin es
f or t he m illi o nt h time, o b livi ous to t h e su n
setti ng and r ising aga in, th e birds fl y i ng
cur i ous l y above, t he fox fri ghtened away by
her st range q ui et;
A lo ne I lie in f ields of green , t ouch i ng t he
seren ity of my t houghts.
,i f
/
Sydney Barton
by Linda Kinkel
13
The 'Accident'
bv Thomas P. Carroll
"Wh y did he do it?" I said to the mirror. My friend in the mirror who I'd
kno wn for countless years said nothing .
He's been my best friend because he
knows more about me than anyone else ,
and no matter what I tell him, he never
t ells.
''I'm more open than you: I'm laugh ed
at, made fun of. But I don't care,
don't care what they think , don't care
if they understand.
"But they tried to tell me what do do:
they tried to put me in an institution.
They'd try to do that to you if they
knew about your friend in the mirror."
un-cleari ng, and found a single tree
standing in the center of it.
I looked at t he old tree with hi s long,
gnarled arms waving at me as if to cal l
me. His l ong fingers reaching for me ,
crack ling lik e tiny castanettes . I looked
at the withered shape once more, and
seein g his black heart, I hurried away
for fear of what he wanted of me.
I've t ried letting my friend out a few
times, but he was on ly ab le to go to another mirror. So now I'm content to
She watched me cl ose ly , stil l rocking
have him by my side, travelling from
I ran.
the ca rri age. She lifted up the blankets.
mirro r to mirror, keeping an eye on me. There was nothing but a do ll lying there.
I left my friend at my house and went
out.
I walked beside the woman w ith the
bab ·, carriage.
"You know, all these years I've talked
to you, and I've never known your
name," I said.
"Does it matter?" she asked .
"No," I answered, And it didn't really.
"I don't know your name either. I
couldn't care less. But I know you. "
"Um ," I rep lied.
"You ' re bothered by that 'accident'
you saw."
"People are so ready to force things on
other people: things to do, things to
think. Your memories, your friend, are
both important to you . Why be forced
to care about anything else?
"Think about that if you're so worried
about that 'accident' . Talk to your
friend about all of this. You ask him if
I'm not right. After tliat, the so lution
is up to you."
"This is kind of a nice place," she said,
eating greasy fried chicken in a most
lady-lik e way. She ate with her fingers.
"I suppose," I said, looking out the window I had i nsisted upon sitting next to.
As a teenager I had walked by restau rant windows and stared at the people
eat ing. I always pretended I was starving. I planned on giving anyone who
did this now a pretty good show .
I wa lk ed away slowly wi t hout looking
"You know, I want to get married
back. Th ere was so much to think about. soon," she sa id expectant ly. She was
eat ing mashed potatoes.
My head hurt quite a bit.
"I know," I mumbled. "I have some
" If I just knew why he did it!" I thought things to deci de first."
aloud . I looked around to see if anyone
heard me, and found I had wandered
int o a nearby forest.
I was lookin g out the window and saw
a car that had been appr oach ing a red
There had been animals hiding in there
"You say the word accident like it really for years, wild and free. And seeing mywasn't an accident at all," I said to her. self as a threat, I didn't look for them.
li ght race into the intersection.
"Oh God!" I cried. I looked around for
some kind of help, but no one paid
attention .
The forest was o ld. About as o ld as anything I can think of. And the mossy
"Hmm?" she sa id to me.
I couldn't answer, so instead I watched trees crowded together in the dim light
as if to shove each other out of the way .
her rock the carriage.
The car had been hit directly in the side,
I came from the tall trees and entered
and the sound of rending meta l r ipped
"You ta lk to your friend in the mirthrough the air. Sparks flew from the
ror, and I care for my baby. I've pushed a c lea rin g. I've always wondered why
pavement as the car sk idd ed sideways
this carriage around for five years,
they call such places clearings, being
not very c lear at all, with tall grass and
into a lamp post and rol led over on its
and no matter what anyone says, my
baby is in that carr iage.
shrubs and such. So I entered the small
roof wit h a crash of broken glass.
"Was it?" she asked very seri ous l y.
14
"Somebody has to help hi m!" I yel led ,
knocking over my c hair as I jumped to
my feet .
"Do what, sir?" the ranger asked.
"Not yet," I murmured.
"Wh at happened!" I asked him .
"What?"
"Yes, dear. Pass the butter, please," she "Y o u tell me sir. I found you on the
sa id, look ing at a dinner roll cri ti ca ll y.
grr:>und in thi s path screaming at the
t op of your lungs . Are you all right?"
I said nothing, d idn't even hear her
rea ll y. She was so far away.
Th e man in the demol ished car waved
in a friendl y manner to the pedestrians.
Th ey didn't wave back.
I looked at my friend in the mirro r. I
think he had decided. He didn't tel l me
what to do yet, though.
The w indows shook vio lentl y as the
car's gas tank exploded .
"I h ope yo u decide about us pretty
soon," she said. Sh e folded her greasy
napkin neatly, and put it gently on the
table.
"I'm so rr y. I must have stumb led and
hit my head. Thanks for your trouble.
Goodbye."
I was anxious to get away from there,
We pulled up to a stop light . Th e red
so I hurried home. I found my car parked light, an eye of fire, stared at m e myopat the curb. And I dro ve away.
ically.
"Wh y d id you want me to go driving
with you?" she asked.
"I see!" I cried suddenly, slapping my
forehead. Th e sound was like a gu n report in so small a car. I l o oked at m y
"To talk." 1 had been holding my breath, friend in the mirror again, and we both
understood.
and the air exp loded f rom my lungs as
I said this. "T o talk," I said aga in, m ore
to myself.
"See wha t ?" she asked , start led.
"Sir?"
"Wh y did he do it!" I opened my eyes
and saw a forest ranger I ook i ng down
at me.
"Y ou've decided what to do about us?
Have yo u finally figured it out?"
"Hmm7" I smiled as I slammed d own
on the acce lerator.
Janet Altmaier
15
Lay it Down, for a Tired Man Blues
by Michael D. McFeggan
Can ya !ay it down when the sun makes me wa r m
Just fee l like sleepi n', spend the w ho le day in
On l y pokin ' around play in', nothing comes to mind
Just lay in ' on my back, layin ' it down, ooh
Com b here w ith me girl, lay it d own too
San dwich in th e fridg e you got nothin' to do
Sip u ' that good Iovin', if alright with you
But pl ease lay it down, 'cause I'm a t ired man
Noth in' can come insid e , it's ooh quiet time
Ph o ne o f f the hook ..got no one to see
Just y ou and your weary tune, come lay it by me
Just lay on your back and I'll sleep ya home
Com e here wit h me girl, lay it down too
Sandwich in the fridge you got nothin' to do
Sip o ' that good Iovin', if alright with you
But p lease lay it down, 'c ause I 'm a tired man
Let t he street man walk down his tired road
L et .., s fiddle faddle here, cook in' some food
If the night comes a closer, let it ride
Dar k is just as good, here, lay in' it down
Come here w ith me girl, lay it dow n too
Sandwich in the fridge you got nothin' to do
Sip o ' that good Iovi n', if alr ight with you
But p lease lay it down, 'cause I'm a tired man
We are no fools friend, it's dreamin' we do
For cry in' is for Sundays, so let it set a spell
Dream as if it's done, your wea ry tune played
Dream we layed it down, for a while today
Come here wi th me girl, lay it down too
Sandwich i n the fr idge you go nothin' to d o
Sip o ' that good Iovin' , jf alright w i th you
But p lease lay it dow n, 'cause I' m a tired man
t
(
~·
O'jd
' "Lynette Franz
16
Teacher of the Deaf
by Carolyn Gorr
A vision of magical power
H er eyes and hands
Ta l k to t he deaf
With lightening fast fingers.
L ove and compassion
Shine in her eyes
As communication flows.
This tongue opens windows
For pupils who seek
An understanding of this
Hearing World .
/
~.
l/
)
/~ \
' ./
'(-. - A_).
\
'
-
I
'-....___../
-
/
William Calkins
17
The End of a Crush
by Carolyn Gorr
Earthquake?
Bellyac he?
Hea rtache.
Whatabreak.
Go eat a ca ke?
Jump ina lake?
Pity sake
Where'sa wake?
Cry?
Why?
Heartbroken
Not hin ' spoke n
No token.
Ego Smashed
Dashed
Gone to Trash.
Now?
Wow .
Bob Ressler
18
The Commander
bv Don Bimmerle
If life was l ike a sh ip on water,
th rashing violent l y i n storms, but
stab le in f ai r weather,
t hen I would want to float forever .
With a body made of tempered stee l
and a compass for direct i on
I wou ld neve r have to
pray for my gu idance o r pro t ection .
I would be the Capta i n and the crew .
But, life's course seems more desu ltory
and we can' t expect to salvage
bodies after dying,
t hough some men spend the ir who le lives try i ng.
0 li f eless hu ll s in ro t ting caskets
anchored firmly in the ground, I
don't hope the voyage t o
inf in ity be per il ous for
not f o ll owing t he Capt ain's orde rs.
Linda Clarv
19
The First Day of School at the End of Summer
by Joe Pesz
grade, and he'd spent most of t he sumThe bus kept stopp ing and go ing a l ot.
There were a l ot of kids I d idn't know.
mer throwing rocks at dogs and beating
up h is older bro ther. Now he was going
They probab ly didn't know me, either .
T ommy Franke got on and came back
to b eat me up. I didn't do anything,
and sat with me. I usuall y don't like any- real ly . That glue on his b i ke seat wasn't
body to sit w ith me, but Tommy was
that sticky. He was prett y mad, though.
O.K. He showed me a turt le he caught
I crunched way down in the seat so he
dow n by the pond. He said it died about cou ldn't see me, but it was too late.
a month ago. I guess he kept it just to
He sat down in front of me and said
"O.K., kid, now you're gonna' get it ! "
It was too bad it was such a nice d ay ,
show the guys. It rea l ly stank.
He grabbed my throat and it started
too , because that was the first day of
getting rea l hard to b reathe. My blue
school. It's always nice on school days. 1 was trying to get Tommy to put the
tie with the clip on it fe l l on the floor
Som etimes I w ish it wou ld rain, but I
turtle away, when the bus stopped real
th in k it on l y rains on Saturdays. I don't fast . My head hit the seat in front o f m e, and was getti ng rea l dirty because I was
remem ber, now.
and Tommy's turtle landed on t he f loor, k ick ing and choking a l ot, trying to get
away. B i lly kept yelli ng about h is b i k e
most of it, anyway. One of t he legs h it
and I felt like throwing up , but I d idn't.
Cindy Johnson i n the back of the head,
So t here I was, on the bus. I sat down
Then I remembered lunc h. My mom
and she got pretty mad about all the
in tt>P back seat. I al ways sit in the back gooey stuff in her hair, so we to ld her
always put fruit in my lunch. I really
seat because that way I don't have to
don't like fruit much, but she always
to shut up, but then she started to cry .
gives me some anyway. So I reached
sit b v the girls. Girls always have to te ll Rea l loud . T hey alwavs do t ha t .
you bout everything, and if you hit
my hand down by my lunch bag , which
Anyway, Billy Smith had just got o n the was pretty hard with Billy holding me
them o r tell them to shut u p, th ey cry
bus. He was t he biggest guy in the third
real l oud . My sister's a girl.
so tight, but I got my hand in there and
It was rea ll y a nice day. You know, the
kind of day that says, "Hey, why don't·
cha come out and run around and fall
down and stuff." The sky was real
brig ht and the wi nd felt j ust li k e th e
fan d<'es when you sit down in fr o nt
of it and watch T.V. You know .
John T. Bernar d
20
felt around and there was someth ing
pretty squishy. Chocolate cake! But boy.
I hat e to waste choco late cake . Just
then, Billy said something dirty and
hit me in the stomac h. It didn't rea ll y
hurt , but I decided I cou ld always get
more c hocolate cake, so I grabbed it
and pushed it right in his nose. It didn't
do anyth ing at first because the wrapper was still on it. But I kept push ing
it at him until his nose and eyes and one
of his ears all had some of my mom's
chocolate cake on them. It was funny
then, because Billy didn't know what
to d o. H e just sat there,looking at me.
and down at the chocolate cake on his
nose. Th en he sa id, "You didn't have
to do that," and got up and sat in a seat
in th e front.
T ommy came back and sat down next
to me. "You really did great." he said.
I closed up my lu nch bag and felt stu·
pid and terrible.
Diane O'Dea
21
And Cygnus, the swan, shall he lp me. You and
I sh al l rid e o n her eno rmo us w i ngs out th ere
in t he blac kn ess, w ith not hi ng b ut empt iness
al l aro und. W e sha l l pass by O ri on and though
I w o u ld l ik e t o p l uc k h is scar let jewel ,
G q ui et l oo k fr o m h is eyes wil l stop m e.
We can wave t o th e Pl eiades and tease th e
pinchers o f t he Sc o rp i on. I wi ll t ho rough l y
enj o y myself o n t his last heaven l y t o ur w ith
you , b ut yo u w ill no t find y o u rsel f c omfortab le ,
my f riend . Y o u w ill b e w ai ti ng, and an t ic ipating
the mo m en t w hen m y so ftes t t ap o n Cygnu s's
sho u ld er w il l signal her t o thro w you t o th e
neverendin g emptin ess. I wonder wh at it w il l
b e l ike f o r y o u t o f al l into dar kness forev er .
by Linda Kinkel
22
Sydney Barton
Breakfast in Bed
by Keith M. Tracy
No time is set awa ke at w il l
Summon o t hers to t end your head,
Re lax enjoy all day to kill
Nothing like it breakfast i n bed .
Just take your time no rush today
Maybe tomorrow make your fame,
Do something great for all t o say
Histor y has your place your name.
For now let the nothings cater
The fools can work and slave till dead,
G lance the clock its an hour later
Prepare for your dinner in bed .
But the day en d s and night draws near
And those next morn ask who slept here?
Janet Altmaier
23
Is our robot shortage just a joke
or is it
ONE VERY BAD PRANK, DESIGNED TO ENSLAVE MEN?
by Don Bimmerle
. . . The year was nineteen-ninety-one,
and life was ripe, and well-designed !
-Ou rs- was the day of the robot;
sleek, mobi le machines, made not in
Our image, but because we liked
the time-consuming id le hours
the metal men provided man!
And everyone owned one.
How right it seemed to sit and watch
them work without sweat !, then, whirring
almost in a trance-like waltz, search
blindly for the next programmed task.
The larger robots, Bump-puff-ing
when molding, manufactured all
the l uxur ies for Our be ing!
(Output d idn 't vary
as they fueled th emse lves - once dail y,
from advanced nuclear systems , . . . )
Th e supply was ever- lasting,
-it was a scientific fact!
. T hough commoners not tuned to us
said silver servile r<;,llers would
cause misery, not happiness.
we scoffed until one bad
non energetic Satu rday
when
Allrobots
inex is
tence
re sponding to their
Prog-rams)
WhiletheWorld~~~~~~~~~~~~skid
dedin
chaos
ceased.
Th e UN powered
mute- not
one
cause. . .
hO
I I Ow junksstood
claiming toknowthe
Optimistically, we
hoped
it was somekindof
praNK,
anddid
until This was revealed!
Fiend ish Plotters c/ut
the
Powe r
and ,having
gained
our
attention
were announcing Future Plans :
For every gear and whee l t hat turns
fo r f ru its of leisure rea lized,-------- - you r robots must have energy ! - - - - - - - OUR robots We designed - - - - - - - - - - - like men, and We supply their fu el !- --Dependency is what this means,------for, without Power, men are through! - - From watch ing silver slaves so long,-- - -your muscles have been atrophied, - - - - - -
24
and now you're facing genocide-------unless you bow when We command!"--- . . .And . . we knew wehadto , .
orelse beforced t o la-borf or
ourselves !! But what otherdemand
CouldThey make
we haD
was
Despairs p r e a d
we surrendered with
and in woewewhined
the men T hey
of us?
The Little
god's given . . . . . . . right!?!
OUR
l ike disease after .
out batt le- Pity for --- wou ld enslave l -- . . .
T hen They said· "You common men should -ser ve Us sometimes for suppl ies of power I "
and we, w ith al l hope exhausted , . - ----agreed, for we'd do anyth i ng, - ----------if j ust to save the work machines ! -- - ----But, when bending in this bondage ----- --w il l we be comforted to know - - - - - -- - -- - mach i nes are not like Men7
25
Cats
by Jackie Campana
I wonder at the loya lty of cats
They sneak off at night
To places unknown
To do secret th i ngs
L ike men who make p romises and
disappear
T hen reappear aga in
Purring contentment
Expecting to be let back in
I wonder at the loyalty of cats.
Jeff Turek
26
A nd now you are gone;
Ha. such a frequent last, last l ine.
I detest the spind l y dregs you left
As a quiet memory
Qu iet as you are distant.
Yo u k now?
Yo u k now how th orn te nac les
Wind and tang le and p ierce
From core to f ingert ips?
You fee l the traumatic, dramatic
Ea rthquake I have become?
Ah, my poor, decrepit semblance of a friend,
You have my heart's sympathy
Fo r your grief at my grief.
b y Linda Kink el
Nancy L ickee
27
A Love Song
by Linda Kinkel
My f r iend, I com e t o you agai n
T o release t hese things
T hat tighten my st omach and th roa t
Ti ll I feel t hat strangling
Must be a much p leasanter dea th.
T he ner ves beneath m y c heeks and eyes
Try to p ierce the sk in w ith pini ons. and burn ;
I must f o rfe it my breath f o r a long m o ment.
Anc' th ink angr y tho ughts.
For if I am lucky .
For n short second Per 'laps o t her t hough t s w ill be d ispersed.
Oh how I hat e!
Ho w I hat e th is ugl y animal
T hat is eating away my mind.
I mmobi liz ing, hypno ti z ing it.
How I hat e this sl y animal
That I can not tea r from m y bod y.
T h ' ' fi lls my lungs with ether.
And my nights w ith insomnia.
Ho w I detest t his creature's p ower over m e!
He· I wish it wou ld sh ow itself
That I may hear it s b ones c racking and splintering
As my gri p b reaks every o ne o f them.
Thnt I may spit o n it.
e
..·
/
l-
\
\
,.
•
;-
\ l·
I
'·
.,
.~
..-- I
'""'!
'
;'
I'
,·
\
•'
• '
,.
I
...
.•.
';
,.
'·
And pierce . and pierce . and pierce its eyeballs.
T h aT I may feel its bl ood and fl esh
Ooze bet ween my fi ngers.
Ooze l ike m ud, li k e slim y mud ,
Like ra in-softened eart h ?
Quiet now, heart.
Fo r il moment now . qui et;
A th ought occu rs t o me.
Yes. I f ind a so lution here T h e 'lest tha t this creature t hri ves on
L ies in the b lood red o f my hea rt .
I shal l t urn t h is throbbi ng , li ving o rgan
T o a d iamond. m y fri end .
Ha c reat u re-y ou have been defeated .
It will amu se me to see y ou
Throug h th e sparkling gem.
Fro zen gro t esq uel y .
U nable to touch me anymore Finally . f inall y d ead.
28
Sandy Mack
Observations of the Weary Commuter
by Carolyn Gorr
T he 5:20 Express.
Exp ressly for what?
The L oop-Group
Like so many robots
Wound up
For the trek home.
Sit in the smoker
& choke.
No p lace for a bouncy ch ild
On l y t he cards can be wi ld.
Faces behind newspapers.
Faces as leep.
Faces peer out the w indow,
Into the dar k .
Dayl ight savings is over, damn,
Can't see the sub-standard v iew
On the way to suburbia.
How can I know
Where I live is great?
If I don't see
T hat exotic c ity landscape.
Trudy Sedlak
29
Betsy Maas
X
30
You Don't Know Nothin' Nomore
b y John Patrick Wall
rpro f
Y ou ca n't t ell a di amo nd w hen it' s in you r hand
A nd yo u ca n't t ell a rub y from a grain o f sand
And yo ur laughi n' dancin' c low n is rea ll y qu ite
a b o re
And y o u just d on't kno w not hin' anymo re.
Y o ur horsesh oe thi eves d o n't ever leave t he
ho use o f wood
A nd t he ga m es th at you p lay now j ust are not
any good
So m et imes I' d li ke to sh ow yo u t o the door
' Cause yo u j ust d o n't k now not h i n' any m ore.
Th e f reight tra in 's brai n has go ne i nsan e as
all ca n see
And the man ab o ut t ow n is down 'ca use he think s
he's a tree
Someti mes I'd lik e t o kn oc k yo u o n the floor
Since you j ust don 't know n othin ' an ymore.
The ho rse rid es u p the m o untain t o th e
Ou ee n of Sheba's b reasts
He tr ies and hopes and w ish es he co uld pass
t he t est s
But I ca n't listen t o y our chattering an ymo re
Beca use yo u ju st don't kn o w noth in' an ymo re.
Jan White
31
When I am al o ne
And horny, I write poems
Prolific poet!
by Scott Elliott
Holly Nordhaus
32