hrend Showcase JjSasas 17
an exhibit ofßehrend students’ expressive thoughts
jjgg" Counting
jMßNiriiMm education mojor
ptmtimmifivm the Sept. 4 Showcase
. safe place. He found the creased ofb
for and began reading. Today he arrr >Ue e c Q
of Luke, something he had already ' nSlll ' Ser 'iorbZi n ' Vn "’’'"’'M/,,
te scrutinized the literature in front of him, look- ness ar) d e Con^ h '' Kxl " —r dl
, grammar, and syntax. In the hallway the bell for classes ' Cs n d reflect of
ted distant, as if it were from another world. He gathered i .
aed from the boys’ restroom. . me soiree Pn ' sent:conk^pk t ,
ale day’s agenda was World Histories and Cultures. Mr. | M||£ part II " eofthef uti lre
Vfclicken was at the chalkboard in a frenzy, spitting forth facts of civilizations ■ „ „ . ... ....
long since lost and forgotten. His teaching style was interesting, often he got | Coffee is aa a^r^ I dnnk ’
MthUff SO worked up that it was only a matter of time before he would foam at • black aadb( f,! m f th ®J^! d ® ° f his
the mouth and collapse. Elton’s attention was slipping fast; his warm, invigorat- I beart lth the the b f rev !
ing Shower eotild only carry him so far. If he could just tilt his head forward a ; bums bis hps and fl /' st
he could hear much better. Maybe I should close my eyes to focus, he I ai W drop the jackals start circling: m his
thought. He could feel it all slipping away, all the din and noise of the world was j bea d< the world loses its color and his
itolniL n-Qitur | mind s eye sees red. Every innocent face m
of teacherly wrath came crashing down upon poor Elton, j the c , r ° w d e d cafe becomes a mask of hostil-
Mr. Vulicken shook his fists wildly and screamed at the top of his lungs. The \ ! ty ' Hls , ton T ms ' te , nse at s ° und
subject Of the yeUing was not something Elton could easily distinguish-his face i ' ouder thaa a hearts beat his and his hand
and mind went to a numb, cold slate of fear. Elton was so well-behaved that he ! foregoes the mug handle and grips the
bad never once had a teacher even slightly raise their voice to him. And here I glazed porcelain so he can feel the heat ra
was Mr. Vulicken—with all the anger and fury of a million dead societies to aid . diating from the drink. The second cup
trim. He had threatened to call the principal but it probably wasn’t necessary. I oomes after the first immediately. Still as
The principal’s office was located clear on the other side of the school and he • hot as lf [t caaie directly out of the pot, his
could most likely hear every word Mr. Vulicken was saying. Elton continued to | ima g inatlon has taken him to the apoca
hang Ms. head in shame. Everyone had their attention drawn to him; his cheeks ; lyps^t 0 a p a^ e of , cnms , on skies a ” d b . ack ‘
sSfg&Hitpfre! tp feel dizzy. The beU to change classes cut Mr. I s Tcxmand bow beforehimm awe
short. Ltttea ghost* Elton vanished from his J the jackals stoop and bow before him in awe
his students had left, Mr. Vulicken stood by the window I a , nd r l en o l '' Tbe girl at tbe tabk ; to bis , eft
fora few moments, fanning himself and checking his pulse. j j> huffles her newspaper and brings him
His day continued with Calculus taught by Mrs. Brighton, a sweet old woman ' hack t<a real . lty n bis reverie be drained his
whose disposition was far less volcanic. Elton handed in his homework. Mrs. j mug , the third *s not as hot as the first
Brighton began passing back tests from the previous Friday. She handed Elton \ two tbe ™ ore tolerable temperature brings
hfotoy*, with a large red “100” stamped over the top. He stuffed it in a folder | ° ut f be b* tterne ss though and the lines on
Witball Ms other perfect tests. Mrs. Brighton brushed Elton’s book bag as she ! bis ace grow taut, his neck
wMMnIIw, forcing it to Spill out some of its contents, including his bible. A sweet I muscles tighten, his shoulders drop and he
girl with no name next to Elton bent down to help him pick up what had fallen. . makes every attempt not to taste what he is
mm pulled Ms things away from her reach and re-packed his book bag. He re- | P ours into his throat. The bitterness bites
fcsed to make ewe contact and stared at his desk, his face a color not unlike what ■ b ‘ s J on g ue ar, d refuses to let go even after
ft had been just fifteen moments before in Mr. Vulicken’s class. The sweet girl I tbe last 1S washed down. He finishes his cup
wMI no nanhshrugged. She was only trying to be nice. ; ° ut H spite - » e reach f tbe H coffee pot
-That period passed, and Elton returned to his tired stupor. He may as well I finds k s empty and sets it back down,
have not bean in dm class—he had not heard a single word that had been said j
by Mrs, Brighton, luckily for Elton, she was old and always had her back turned '
tbthe Cfe** She was completely oblivious to all around her. Mrs. Brighton was
the sort of teacher to keep on teaching, even after the bell had rung
and4he doss had left. Popular theory said that she was deaf.
Alter *’ " class was the lunch period, where Elton rushed back
itroom and locked himself down to begin proofread-
Sofar he had found a new error in every book—
-1 All too Quickly, Ms half hour of safety
- passed in much the same manner
did —a giant blur of.words and notes that he
' sleep. After the final moment of school was
~ bell rang. Elton had never heard such
crisp, usual self. It brushed Elton’s face as
coed air helped his eyelids stay open—eyes
Although he felt like he was getting his
4es and head ached with fatigue. School
Ik hut to Elton it felt like he was walking
getting any closer. His destination was
secondary school for the conglomeration
: teens living in the area. He had reached
fifteen minutes early. Elton glanced at
conscious of the time. One of his Worst
d. Time in-between classes was time
te people around him. By no means
ration to Elton, so he headed to the
. no one needed to communicate. He
locked it, and opened his book bag. In
> his problems: a bible.
, the worn book’s yellowed pages,
dust entered Elton’s nose and he
to pass in an instant. He was greeted
, home; He answered that greeting with a
a flowerpot. Both his Aunt Mary and his
their respective forty hour work weeks,
her caring demeanor made her cus
even two or three homes from her.
, was miserable, but pay was decent,
the empty home with not a dustmite
: kitchen, grabbed a cinnamon
,<room. He locked his door behind
bed while the day took its toll on
" If Igo to sleep now, I’ll be all
] out of his bed and ambled
lined with bibles. He pulled a
*and opened it. It bad been hoi
battle of pills. The label read, “BAR
DAILY FOR PAIN.” Elton
two large, white pills in
water anymore; he was
place and then opened his
newspaper. He unfolded it
ink was worn but he could
' woman in the pictures,
he did all day in school.
destroyed,
and rtutt downstairs,
i “IN LOVING MEM
GOuId still be read.
Kevin Roche
sophomore psychology major
I'm Going’ To Miss You A Lot
shadows splattered on windows on walls
like the bones in her thighs
inked with summer's love and dragonflies
five suns to lie or decide
bleed, the way the colors combine
VIICKK '•■■nr < w»"
can't see your eyes
but i always felt your heart in my chest
do you know we're all alone?
don't you know we're all lovers?
do you know you're in love with a ghost?
don't you know we're all alone?
we are all dreamers
brighter than the sun
fa
jnch where it lay,
be an everlasting sovenir
Upon its
towing it woul
Molly Nosko, junior communications major