19” by Kali MulliganPage 2 Editors: Edgar Garcia, Gurtaj Grewal, and Ella Morrison Cover Art: Lake...

Editors: Edgar Garcia, Gurtaj Grewal, and Ella Morrison

Cover Art: Lake County by Kali Mulligan

Cover Poem: From “COVID-19” by Kali Mulligan

Printing: Mike Wieber, Yuba College Print Shop

Faculty Advisor: Kevin Ferns, Professor of English, Woodland

Community College

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Table of Contents

Poems and Short Stories

Covid-19 by Kali Mulligan 5

Familiar Days by Malachi Wharry 8

Time Flies Nanny by Ashlyee Alston 10

The Romantic Parasite by Maris Sunsel 11

Seventeen by Sydney Leahy-Hill 12

Send by Isabella Morrison 13

Casual Conversations by Maris Samsel 15

The Gemini by Maris Samsel 16

Misunderstood by Kali Mulligan 25

Give Me Your Ashes by Sydney Leahy-Hill 29

Syndrome by Isabella Keppel 30

Sonnet by Rheiana Cuevas 31

Sonnet by Angelica Garcia 32

My Dear Boy by Rain Ibarra-Pina 33

Susie by Kate Deng 33

The Whetstone by Rohan Castelino 34

Sonnet by Timothy Luevano 35

Borderlands by Jay Corrales 36

Return to Limuw by Elizabeth Diaz 38

Photography and Artwork

Black and White Flowers by Alondra Fuentes 9

Fog by Kate Deng 10

Copenhagen by Kali Mulligan 11

IMG_3901 by Marcus Gardner 12

W.W.H. by Jasmin Lopez 14

Namjoon2020 by Jasmin Lopez 16

Covid-19 Representation by Biridiana Diaz 17

Orange Mist by Rheiana Cuevas 17

Sparkly Mochi by Jasmin Lopez 18

Belize by Kali Mulligan 18

The Aftermath of the California Wildfire

by Rheiana Cuevas 19

Sonoma Countryside Views by Kali Mulligan 19

Iris with Dew by Kate Deng 20

Umbrian Sheep 20

Pink World by Jasmin Lopez 21

Pianta by Laura Meozzi 21

London by Kali Mulligan 22

Blue Frida Kahlo Flowers by Alondra Fuentes 22

“Hiatus” They Said by Jasmin Lopez 23

IT by Raymond Terrases 23

Frida Kahlo Flowers by Alondra Fuentes 24

Single Object for My Painting Class by Alondra Fuentes 24

Lake Tahoe by Kate Deng 27

Literal Sunshine by Jasmin Lopez 28

Image_3143 by Marcus Gardner 32

Sunset by Kate Deng 34

Medusa by Jennifer Michel 35

COVID-19

Kali Mulligan

There’s a virus in the air,

Causing quite the scare.

Only go outside with a mask,

That is, if you dare.

COVID-19, but what does it all mean?

Am I really living in isolation?

Or am I stuck inside a bad dream?

One day I am living my best life,

The next I’m living like the masses,

Experiencing all kinds of strife.

Schools moved to online,

My ex is stalking me,

My job is up in a week,

This virus is taunting me.

There’s nowhere to run,

There’s no place to hide,

There are so many new rules by which to abide.

No more hugging,

And you better stand back six feet,

I’m not sure if the masses can handle this,

A societal defeat.

The economy was booming,

And now it’s on the verge of collapse,

Somehow our government thinks all can be solved with

1,200 bucks cash.

Meanwhile the rich keep reminding us:

“We’re all in the same boat!”

While they sail off in their luxury yacht,

With no worries about staying afloat.

Unemployment rates are sky high, no

While millions of people continue to die.

All the while we have no choice but to sit and stay grounded,

Collectively feeling perplexed and dumbfounded.

Graduations are cancelled,

And so are all sports,

Too many complaining of being alone and bored.

Now is the time to go within,

An opportunity to see where our minds begin.

Living in the manner we are used to,

Has been proven to be quite the sin.

Fast times, and fast friends,

Now it’s time to slow down and make amends.

To give thanks, to give praises,

Perhaps to the world, the planet that raised us.

The planet will win,

She always does,

I can’t wait to wrap my arms around loved ones,

Embracing every last second of that initial hug.

To see what is truly at stake,

Is all of mankind’s fate.

We need to flatten the curve,

So why haven’t we learned?

to some this pandemic is of no concern.

We live in a time that is most uncertain,

I’m waiting for someone to tell me,

“Don’t mind the guy behind the curtain!”

Is it planned? Is it real? Or is it all fake?

Is this what it takes to get everyone fully awake?

To open our eyes, to finally see,

That we all need a timeout, to sit and just be.

Enjoy your life,

Take it in stride,

Because you never know when you’ll be forced to swallow

your pride.

At the end of the day,

All we can do is pray,

That the planet will recover,

And hope that mankind gets to stay.

Familiar Days

Malachi Wharry

He wakes up to a familiar day

Sun still shines routines stay the same

He searches the sky for someone with say

He is lost but there are none to blame

He wonders if it is all an illusion

An endless cycle a trap of his own doing

Is this the truth or his own delusion

No one can know where his mind is moving

A typical day while a war is fought

Hope carries him through his ups and downs

Through it all a smile and laugh is taught

Believing he can turn his frowns to crowns

Tomorrow's promise he cannot betray

He wakes up to a familiar day

Black and White Flowers by Alondra Fuentes

medium: acrylic

Time Flies Nanny

Ashlyee Alston

I would recognize you by your grey hair,

Or we would say silver, Alston Silver.

I realize you're not here, and life's not fair,

Unfamiliar, or did life get realer.

I would recognize your laugh, I hear it,

As I replay the voicemail, on the phone

Joy to the ears, watered eyes, I bear it

See, but my heart cries wishing you were home.

I would recognize you a mile away.

Can you see me from blue skies like today?

I want more conversations, I pray.

All these times or memories I replay.

The love that taught, now in heaven to far,

To love so hard, to the heavens afar.

Fog by Kate Deng

The Romantic Parasite

Maris Samsel

Keep my heart in a jar;

Lock me up but let me live

To see the light from your shadow

But not to breathe your air.

Carry me close

On your person

In your pocket;

Tuck me inside the folds

of your jacket.

I will live there

And feel your warmth

But not to feel your touch.

Do not feed me.

Let me starve.

Copenhagen by Kali Mulligan

Seventeen

Sydney Leahy-Hill

My wife and I fell in love at seventeen.

We knew everything and nothing of the world.

It was a time of being caught in between.

The innocence of us makes my fingers curl.

Being outed was unforeseen;

Her home life became a living hell.

She was abused behind a smoke screen,

And I wept for things to be well.

She left home, and we got married at the courthouse.

That day was such a happy one,

As I could finally call her my spouse.

There was a catch, though; only when she had the Green

Card in hand could we have won.

We are both left with marks from back then.

I hope nothing of the sort ever happens again.

IMG_3901 by Marcus Gardner

Send

Isabella Morrison

The doubts haunts her mind as she types, deletes, types, and

deletes the message

As her brain tells her that nobody wants her or her issues

As her soul takes those doubts as truth

As her heart starts breaking apart

She types, deletes, types, and deletes

She wants to be the happy girl

The girl who is always smiling, ready to take on the world

The girl who puts her head down and solves her issues


She knows that they say they are there for her, always

She knows that they say they want her to reach out when shit

gets tough

She knows, but does she?


How can she be sure that she is not an added burden?

How can she be sure that when her name pops up on their

screen they won’t wish it was anyone else?

How can she be sure that they won’t judge the fuckedupness

that is her?

She types, deletes, types and deletes.

W.W.H. by Jasmin Lopez

Casual Conversation

Maris Samsel

I breathe in fog unevenly;

In, out, in, in, out.

I clamor for pace, rhythm, stead;

It races ahead.

I do not think.

I skip, I trip,

I fall onto my words

In a heap and lay there

with my shattered contributions.

I do not take my time;

Time submerges me

and I drown in linear oblivion,

yearning for a space I am not

Forced to race in.

The Gemini

Maris Samsel

My eyelids grow heavy

But I cannot sleep

I cannot rest

Until my task is complete.

My conquest must be won,

My quest must be fulfilled.

I will myself further

To run, walk, crawl,

As I sink

Into my neon stupor

My wired undead state

My caffeinated

consciousness

My calm subconscious

violence.

Namjoon2020 by Jasmin

Lopez

Covid-19 Representation by Biridiana Diaz

Orange Mist by Rheiana Cuevas

Belize by Kali Mulligan

Sparkly Mochi by Jasmin Lopez

The Aftermath of the California Wildfire by Rheiana Cuevas

Sonoma Countryside Views by Kali Mulligan

Iris with Dew by Kate Deng

Umbrian Sheep by Kali Mulligan

Pink World by Jasmin Lopez

Pianta by Laura Meozzi

London by Kali Mulligan

Blue Frida Kahlo Flowers by Alondra Fuentes

Medium: oil painting/ analogous palette

“Hiatus” They Said by Jasmin Lopez

IT by Raymond Terrases

Frida Kahlo Flowers by Alondra Fuentes

Medium: oil paint / complementary palette

Single object for my painting class by Alondra Fuentes Medium: Acrylic paint

Misunderstood

Kali Mulligan

Allow me to introduce myself,

Let me shake off the dust and pull my hidden story off the

shelf,

Can’t find it? Oh well!

Go on, make your assumptions like everyone else...

Loved, hated, overly debated,

Consistently underrated and discriminated against,

People take one look at my skin and correlate it to a pristine

yard and a white picket fence.

How dense.

White power, white pride,

I’m ashamed of our society, all the truths that have been fed

as blatant lies.

“You must be a daddy’s girl!

So rich, so pretty!”

Yeah? Do you have any idea what it has taken me to even

make here into my 30’s?!

I almost didn’t make it a number of times,

So many times, so close to dying.

Not to mention all the discrimination at work.

“Sure you’ll get a raise, just let my hand slip up under your

shirt.”

What jerks.

I have to work twice as hard to get half as far.

It doesn’t matter if I’m the best, the biggest brightest

shooting star.

“Well, you make plenty for a woman of your age.”

Said with a halfcocked smile and a stubbly stoic face.

Not to mention my alcoholic mother,

All the embarrassment and lies cast upon her own daughters.

Oh bother.

I grew up in a family that saw no color,

I grew up never once thinking I am better than any other.

I have friends of all races of all kinds,

I essentially was raised up to be color blind.

Treat others with respect,

Treat as you would want to be treated,

Little does everyone know,

Just how many times I have felt and been defeated.

You see me and think I have never experienced any kind of

adversity,

Now’s the time to wipe your eyes, open them up and truly

see,

Life isn’t fair...not even to me.

I’ve lost more people than I can count,

Two of which, tragically drowned.

What now?

I’ve been told to try harder

Only to not ever get any farther.

I’ve been verbally, mentally and emotionally abused,

All these things I did not purposely choose.

I’ve been lied to,

Cheated on,

Dumped for a bag of white rocks,

Stalked.

Diagnosed with PTSD making me feel perpetually lost

Well gosh...

But I’m white,

I thought this wasn’t supposed to be!

According to the history books

You get nothing but the best if you look like me!

Well gee...

So, go ahead now

Judge my book by its cover,

I can guarantee you it is a story unlike any other.

Lake Tahoe by Kate Deng

Literal Sunshine by Jasmin Lopez

Give Me Your Ashes

Sydney Leahy-Hill

My wife used to pray for me.

She prayed for my health, happiness, and joy.

Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over

thee.

It was Catholicism that destroyed.

In her world, there was only one way of life.

One step out of line, and she was destined for an afterlife of

fire and ash.

She never thought she could be my wife.

Her mind and her heart clashed.

She hopes she can find her religion again someday,

And I wish the same for her.

Perhaps she’ll reach a point where the thoughts won’t make

her slowly decay,

And maybe the Bible will no longer be cruel literature.

I wonder if she’ll ever pray for me again.

When?

Syndrome

Isabella Keppel

It's a cacophony that I live in daily

Of words, lights, and sounds flittering around me

Like a flock of flustered and wound up birds

Their feathers scattering about my every move

I wonder if they can hear me at all

Those people strolling across the pavement

I try to call out to them while I can

But those few words are shot down like ruffled ducks

That plummet to the ground lifelessly

As the hunter is whisked away by the wind

I stand there like a ghost as they pass

Wishing things had turned out better once again

Perhaps someday someone will hear me

Amongst the gunfire and fluttering wings

Sonnet

Rheiana Cuevas

I could be found in about each corner,

Often black, but I can also be blue.

Oft left without a comforting partner,

Alone with people’s stinky residue.

That man just threw away some untouched food.

Little did he know, kids would fight for it,

But I know I can’t possibly intrude.

If only sinful trash, I could omit.

At least, through me, animals are not harmed,

Nor plants, as I keep the world clean from trash.

I prevent the world from getting alarmed,

Pollution that can turn the world to ash.

People might see me as a useless thing,

Yet, a refreshing planet I could bring.

Yosemite by Kate Deng

Sonnet

Angelica Garcia

Fifteen years ago I took a pregnancy test.

Two lines meant positive, I felt blessed.

I couldn't wait to hold you and kiss you all over

On May 22 you were born, the sun was shining

People were coming over

I was handing you over

Man you are one of god's greatest creations!

At nine years old you became an older brother

You are the bestest with your brother and sister,

even though your brother is a pest

I confess he loves you more than he does mom and dad

But that's rad I’m not sad I am glad he loves you

I am blessed yes I am, blessed with you

that you get to call me mom.

Image_3143 by Marcus Gardner

My Dear Boy

Rain Ibarra-Pina

My dear boy you inspire me to write again

How I love your perfect dance

Invading my mind incessantly through daytime

How I’ve dreamt that you were real

Who could compare to you my boy

You are my eyes perfection and their amazement

Your porcelain skin so doll-like resemblance is uncanny

Picturing you dancing it is among the wildflowers

How I’ve loved you over these many long years

But how can I love you

You are not real we will never really meet

But still I love and long for you my boy

For now I must live without you my dear

Hoping that we will cross paths in dreamland

Susie

Kate Deng

Five years old Susie,

Sneaked into the kitchen,

Like the very hungry caterpillar.

Ate one vanilla ice-cream,

Two chocolate cookies,

And three guava candies,

Before mama found her.

The Whetstone

Rohan Castelino

An English student I am most not

A student engineer I am indeed

And yet I wish to have one less blind spot

Which brings me here, I hoped I should succeed

At first, I fail, I grind and gnash my teeth

The words do not quite flow so easily

Lest failure come, and I might drown beneath

So on push I, till it improves finally

And see! Though little did I re’a’lize,

while I both read and wrote nearly every day

My mind grew sharp and tongue grew glib; surprise!

My thoughts don’t stop when text is put away

I see the tricks and tools, in vids and song

I will soon dull; must learn still more - prolong

Sunset by Kate Deng

Sonnet

Timothy Luevano

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball

You have to be quick on your toes

if not you may stumble and fall

that's just how everything in life goes

Every lesson has to be learned

even if they are good or bad

most people have their turn

though it can make you very sad

it’s easier to look on the bright side

anything you will face has time to pass

there is no need to run and hide

always remember you are a bad ass

hard times will always come and go

but they will teach you what you need to know

Medusa by Jennifer Michel

Borderlands

Jay Corrales

Borderlands isn’t an area with run down homes, rusty cars,

or poor people. Borderlands may not look like much to the

human eye. But if you needed help, any of those people

would take you in.

If you needed clothing, any of those people would give you

the shirts off their back. If you needed help, any of those

people would not hesitate to do the right thing. It may not

look like much to the human eye, but to the human spirit and

soul, it’s everything.

To live in the borderlands means to me, living peacefully.

Learning from elders, taking in free wisdom, and learning

how to give back to your roots. To live in the borderlands

means to me; being from different areas and having family

everywhere.

To have family in the small villages of Mexico, to having

family in the scorching desert of

Needles, to having family in the snowy areas of Truckee.

To live in the borderlands means to me; working harder than

others who are privileged.

You’ve grown up through the struggle, you’ve seen parents

stress over money, you’ve seen the look in your mother’s

eyes when she was worried about what she was going to

make for dinner.

You have a hard work ethic; you know the value of a dollar;

you know what it takes to provide for your family.

To survive in the borderlands means to me; using your

struggles, using the painful memories, using the poor

upbringing to continue to fight through whatever life throws

at you.

To live in a Chicano and mixed heritage family means

knowing what it’s like to be able to go out and eat when it’s

Dad’s payday. It means being able to get shoes when yours

are worn out. It means being able to stop by for fast food

before going home. However, it also means to never

forget your struggles. It means to not forget how much your

parents used to stress and fight over money. It means

remembering what it was like to eat beans, tortillas, and rice

for a couple of days until your parents could figure

something out. It means to never forget sacrifices that were

made to give you a better life.

Borderlands may not look like much to the human eye, but

to some, borderlands is where we grew up.

Return to Limuw

Elizabeth Diaz

Return to Limuw

It is early and it is cold

My belongings are packed

I have never been to the island before

My stomach nauseous with anticipation

I board the vessel

My hands are sweating as we embark

I wonder if she will recognize me

For we have never met

Alolk’oy join us along the way

Our ancestors are guiding us back to her

She feels me before I see her

“I know you, ša’y,” she says

The water is rough but I am calm

The saxkhɨt rushes through my lungs

It is the breath of our people

A reunion of their souls and mine

My eyes brim with tiʼnik

We are a salt water people

I step off the boat

and fall to her on my hands and knees

I taste the dirt bringing it to my tongue

Just like Uncle taught me

Limuw, I know you

Limuw, I am home

Meet Your Editors

Gurtaj Grewal

Gurtaj is active in campus life

and is majoring in

communications. He plans to transfer to UC Davis and major

in community and regional

development. He enjoys

reading in his free time and watching the news on TV.

Isabella Morrison

This is Isabella’s second semester as an INK! editor and her

fifth semester at Woodland Community College. As a high

school student, she is

working towards her

high school diploma

and AA in English.

She hopes to study

English and law in

the future. In her free

time, she loves to

read, write, dance,

and eat!

Edgar Garcia

This is Edgar’s first semester as an INK editor and third semester

at Woodland Community College. He’s working on transferring to

Sacramento State to work on his English major and psychology

major. In his spare time he enjoys reading a good book and a good

series on Netflix.

19” by Kali MulliganPage 2 Editors: Edgar Garcia, Gurtaj Grewal, and Ella Morrison Cover Art: Lake...

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Transcript of 19” by Kali MulliganPage 2 Editors: Edgar Garcia, Gurtaj Grewal, and Ella Morrison Cover Art: Lake...