Pueblo Community College values creative thought and artistic craftsmanship. Individual views and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial staff or of Pueblo Community College.
Please be advised some content may include graphic references to topics such as sexual abuse, self-harm, violence, eating disorders, etc.
Death
by LeRoy Brown
The never-ending sleep.
The never-ending peace
No more troubles
No more sorrows
Maybe in the afterlife
Maybe in the earth
No consciousness
No worries
No suffering
Maybe we all are in this state
Maybe we all are not in this state
The meaning of life is unknown
The importance of life undervalued by most, overvalued by a few
What is life?
Why do I exist?
Remember me when I am with the Earth.
Be hopeful, that I can be with nature
Shed tears of joy but not of sorrow
For now, I am in a better state
No consciousness, no worries, no pains.
Someone’s grandpa is living on life support
A decision is pondered to pull the plug
Life so short and fragile!!
Someone’s pet is run over by a car
Someone is throwing their one life away to drugs
Life we only live once, we only live once
Maybe there is a soul and an afterlife
Maybe we are all physical, in fact the evidence is stronger to support this
Maybe as science claims we are all energy
Maybe there is an afterlife, maybe there is no afterlife
But what is certain is that we only live once
So, make the most out of the one life you can
Gain all the human knowledge possible
Admire everything for soon you will not be able to
Do not weep in times of suffering, for it will get better
I wish no one to suffer, but rather to obtain the greatest pleasures life has to offer
All in black, most crying some joking
He lays peacefully in the most elegant bed
People come to say their last words, never to be heard by “sleeping beauty”
Remembered by all, so make the most out of life
The grim reaper can strike at any moment
A single God may exist by the name of Death, but to that I say not in the present but be far in the future
So I leave you with this
Do not suffer when one is dead but rather like a storm that has passed, it will get better
Live the life you will not regret being remembered
No one knows but maybe you might be the next Shakespeare, or the next Beethoven, or the next Neil Armstrong
One with the Earth now, or perhaps in an afterlife.
The world full of mysteries and full of wonders, yet we focused on the suffering and the evil
I do not know if you believe in a God(s)
But whomever you identify them as, will they give you something to live for!!!
Zombies: The insecurities of Life
by LeRoy Brown
I wake up.
do I stay in my warm comforting bed?
the comfort of the comforters that is covering me with compassion and conviction.
I pull the comforter off me, into the insecurities of our modern society.
The technology that is extracting, zombies!
Scrolling around on their cellular devices with only Just a single finger
Zombies hiding near us, creeping towards us, the intoxication of their technology near us
as one shows us something on their technology, we both laugh and then we pull out our technology
Zombies!!!
Stress relief in which I will fall in with good games will have this effect
infected by the intoxicating elixir of technology at one’s convenience
Anything we want right in our hands, medical advice, news of any kind; fake, biased, and reliable.
Games, apps, social media, music, and now even apps to have food delivered to our very doorstep
bang, bang, bang, delivery!
Crime plagues the streets! We cannot even walk to our mailbox without being shit on
Robberies everywhere, murders more frequent than ever, the war on drugs sweep the goddamn nation
alcoholic fathers are lashing out for no motherfucking reason at all
Unofficial spies and con artists taking our personal identity.
Do we even fucking exist after that?
Disease and viruses plague and ravage all nations without discrimination; but why do people discriminate?
Kids are turning to the fucking streets instead of their families, and our failing public school system
Drugs both legal and illegal are turning into the wrong hands.
Big pharma day by day producing goddamn addicting drugs; opiates.
Fathers are leaving their wives and kids doing what the fuck ever they desire. Now a single mother!
multiple jobs and taking care of their children by their own with very little
Religions are getting even more corrupt by the day.
Turn on the news to hear about more crime, more disease, the coronavirus or COVID 19, corruption of
Scientology, war, Politics, and natural disasters.
The government teaching us what they want us to fucking learn; our public education system easier to complete
less useful skills not instated turning future generations into mindless zombies
We see as the direct result that homelessness strikes the nation upon; we live.
We all claim to love the nations and even the world upon which we live
we do not do anything to improve the living conditions for fellow humans and future generation,
thank you for the brave men and women who make a difference, you will be remembered!
The lack of jobs and people living paycheck by paycheck, taxes increase annually, the cost of living
Always boiling above our heads, our economy getting worse day by day.
I want to leave with this; the brave men and woman who
combat fires and save lives, take crime and take justice and give it to the innocent,
taking care of innocent people plagued by diseases, the courageous men and women who fight for their
countries and risk their life daily, the people breaking their backs to earn a living and produce
a product that humans rely upon, the farmers who break their backs, backs pop—they sweat and earn little wages
getting humans a necessary substance food—the groups who treat our water for drinking, the little act
like not driving a car and thus riding a bicycle, picking up the trash in their communities, volunteering
the insecurities of life, a roll of the dice
tell me all the good in the world; we always turn to technology. Ignoring the “good, bad and the ugly”
I wake up!
Do I get out of bed or do I stay in my bed?
I get out of bed, and spin the wheel of fortune
I am calling for security but instead feel the insecurities of our modern society
the best insecurities are the ones we face daily, zombies!
Knowing that I can make a difference for myself and others in our modern society
If the randomness of making a difference in modern security is insecurity, I get out of bed!
About LeRoy Brown
LeRoy Brown: a unique individual who has an obsession for reading and writing. No one can pry a book or a pen from his clutches. He loves to write from the bottom of his heart and writes about topics such as fantasy all the way to philosophy. There really are no boundaries to LeRoy’s writing style and voice. He is a never-ending buffet of writing talent and knowledge all wrapped up into a single person.
Area of Study:
English Literature
Poise of a Woman
by Rhyan Gonzales
Poise of a Woman
Soaring with pride
Shoulders always at ease
Her gaze sharp as spears
Voice scorching
Speaking with power
Yes,
A Woman with Poise
About Rhyan Gonzales
It interests me to show female empowerment while encouraging all people to see the beauty in all areas. Everyone should be seen as who they are and not as their gender, ethnicity, or religion.
Area of Study:
Landscape Architecture
My Inner Wolf
By Colleen Opal
For as I look to the sky mourning what I lost while begging for revenge
Showing my sharp fangs thirsty for revenge from that which stole my life from me
A cold breeze ruffled my thick fur as I raised my snout and howled at the blood- colored moon
By tearing my pack apart I dare not go back to my old den
For you have stolen from me what I hold dearest to me
My beloved pack …my love...my life
As I sit on the edge of a cliff thinking about what was taken from me
I look at the blood-colored moon once again
As I howled a mournful howl sitting on this very cliff
I look down to what seems like an endless abyss
Thinking of whether or not to jump into the darkness of the abyss
For I lost my soul fighting against becoming this very beast
Forever Changing
by Peyton Prasek
The world has changed and so have we.
We question what we should or shouldn’t believe.
We have so much information, all at our ready, yet so much is unknown.
Everything is different now; our ancestors would be turning in their graves. They may
not understand why we have changed.
Today we can talk, see, or be with anyone we please.
Thank god for that, well if that’s what you believe.
About Peyton Prasek
I am about to graduate with both my diploma and my degree. I am very excited to open every door available to me. I plan on doing an aesthetician program, and hopefully one day I will have a business of my own. I plan to continue my passion for art and writing, no matter which path I take. I really enjoy anything creative and love to express myself through these outlets.
Area of Study:
Associate of Arts
All Dance
by Steven Trujillo
All can tell at-a-glance
they praise life in the dance
as they walk through the door
they head straight to the dance floor
Picking flowers off the wall
They will dance with them all
Delighted, in dance they take part
dancing brings joy and a happy heart
To their number they do all dance
their moves are classic and freelance
Effortless fun which cannot be ignored
there in their mist am I on the dance floor
All delight, in movement to the music
All move, in rhythm to the music
All sing, and sway to the music
All rejoice, and dance to the music
It’s Daddy
by Steven Trujillo
“It’s daddy” She says in whisper
the children begin to quiver
Under covers they hide their heads
quietly they listen with dread
Footsteps uneven and staggered
belong to a drunken swagger
The door waiting to be unlocked
keys fumbled, find, and turn the lock
The bedroom door swings open
from bed there is no motion
Hall light silhouetting creature
with red bulging eyes its feature
Cigarette smoke, stale liquor
accompanying this figure
Stench begins to fill the room
along with foreboding, gloom
Words seeming foreign emit
garble, slurs and then repeat
Questions are what It asks
children are put to task
“Yes daddy, no daddy, please”
“yes” “no” neither could appease
SMACK
“Don’t even talk back
discipline you lack”
WHACK
“Food, shelter, clothes on your back
there is nothing that you lack”
WHAM
“Treat you like little lambs
and you don’t give a damn”
BAM
Strikes one last blow
then starts to go
Suddenly, the creature turns
the children begin to squirm
“Stop the tears or without a doubt
give you something to cry about”
The creature’s gone
all becomes calm
There’s silence in the room
the children tend their wounds
Quiet, broken by a whisper
“goodnight, I love you too daddy”
My Misteak
by Steven Trujillo
Occurred simple enough
easily gathered the usual stuff.
Like a snowball made without mittens
turns to ice and hands frost bitten
Thus I found my main ingredient
thawing process became expedient
Nuke? Soak? Slow cook? Stress!
Which would be the best process?
I chose to nuke it
then into pan cook it
on high, hunger dictated it
Like mosquito wings annoyingly close to ear
the same high-pitched whine made it clear
Through heavy fog
or self-created smog
Toward the stove I scampered
though my sight was hampered
Finding the cause quickly reacting
removed the pan pain extracting
From the heat source
served the main course
Smelled like burning tires
in a never-ending fire
Tasted like shoe leather
catsup and hot sauce together
The cost of a blistered hand
had made “eat!” its demand
My misteak
About Steven Trujillo
You are never too old to pursue your dreams.
Area of Study:
Studio Arts
Beautiful Destruction
by Luna Ward
I know now I didn’t love you
I loved my idea of you
I hoped that maybe I could be yours and you could be mine
I didn't know I had fallen in love with the version of you that only existed in my mind
I loved those moments that seemed to belong solely to you and to me
Yet those were all part of the illusion and the lies I chose to believe
The reality is that we were never meant to be
You belong to someone else and I belong to me
I loved my idea of you
I hoped that maybe I could be yours and you could be mine
I didn't know I had fallen in love with the version of you that only existed in my mind
I loved those moments that seemed to belong solely to you and to me
Yet those were all part of the illusion and the lies I chose to believe
The reality is that we were never meant to be
You belong to someone else and I belong to me
You told me that you and I were so much the same
You said if only our lives were completely changed
There could be more than just you and me
It made me once more start to dream
Made me desire things not supposed to be
Your tired smoky eyes always seem to haunt my sleep
Those looks told a story of possibility
Of something I wanted so desperately
They were meaningless and I was the only one who didn't see
Because promises can’t be broken if they are never spoken
Those words behind your tired eyes were nothing but lies
You said they were for me
Now I know better sadly
You said if only our lives were completely changed
There could be more than just you and me
It made me once more start to dream
Made me desire things not supposed to be
Your tired smoky eyes always seem to haunt my sleep
Those looks told a story of possibility
Of something I wanted so desperately
They were meaningless and I was the only one who didn't see
Because promises can’t be broken if they are never spoken
Those words behind your tired eyes were nothing but lies
You said they were for me
Now I know better sadly
I’ve heard those words before and I've finally learned what they mean
It was an impetuous offer that you had no intention of keeping
I wish I was wrong about you with more of my heart than I’m willing to admit
There were no breathing prayers elicited by unnamed, unwanted feelings
Whatever that meant
All of it was left unsaid between these lying versions of ourselves
The ones who spoke of needs unmet
It was an impetuous offer that you had no intention of keeping
I wish I was wrong about you with more of my heart than I’m willing to admit
There were no breathing prayers elicited by unnamed, unwanted feelings
Whatever that meant
All of it was left unsaid between these lying versions of ourselves
The ones who spoke of needs unmet
I’d really like to think I could have loved you
If you had just let me in
If only you had chosen to speak the truth instead
I’d like to think with you, I could be a different me
Those unspoken invocations remain unanswered
I yearned for more than I should have
I burned too brightly, wanted way too much
I am much too selfish
And you can't seem to find yourself
I can be so overwhelming
Because I am a disaster in the making
Eventually, everyone regrets knowing me
I am the never-ending tantrums of a turbulent sea
A storm so destructive, you wouldn't survive long enough to flee
If you had just let me in
If only you had chosen to speak the truth instead
I’d like to think with you, I could be a different me
Those unspoken invocations remain unanswered
I yearned for more than I should have
I burned too brightly, wanted way too much
I am much too selfish
And you can't seem to find yourself
I can be so overwhelming
Because I am a disaster in the making
Eventually, everyone regrets knowing me
I am the never-ending tantrums of a turbulent sea
A storm so destructive, you wouldn't survive long enough to flee
I wonder now what it was about me that made you walk away from me?
I tried so hard to be a better version of the reflection I see
Change is so much harder than it seems
Was it the fractures in my soul?
Was it the fires of my passions threatening to consume you whole?
Those fires can burn anyone, even me
Was it the intensity of the storms inside my head?
I know there is chaos in every part of me
And it threatens to consume everything
Especially me
I tried so hard to be a better version of the reflection I see
Change is so much harder than it seems
Was it the fractures in my soul?
Was it the fires of my passions threatening to consume you whole?
Those fires can burn anyone, even me
Was it the intensity of the storms inside my head?
I know there is chaos in every part of me
And it threatens to consume everything
Especially me
I don’t blame you for rethinking your attraction for me
If I tell you it’s going to be fine
I want you to know that’s a beautiful lie
I speak it when I need to hide
I have never been and never will be fine
At least this pain is familiar
I know it all too well
You aren’t the first to realize I might consume everything
You won’t be the last who fell
If I tell you it’s going to be fine
I want you to know that’s a beautiful lie
I speak it when I need to hide
I have never been and never will be fine
At least this pain is familiar
I know it all too well
You aren’t the first to realize I might consume everything
You won’t be the last who fell
There was never going to be more
There was never going to be an us
I knew it.
You did, too
It was just me wishing for things forever out of reach
It was just you with your half-truths and your impulsivity
Maybe in another time and another place
Maybe if you and I were someone else
Someone who doesn't have a past they can't face
Someone not you and someone not me
Maybe then we could see what was never meant to be
There was never going to be an us
I knew it.
You did, too
It was just me wishing for things forever out of reach
It was just you with your half-truths and your impulsivity
Maybe in another time and another place
Maybe if you and I were someone else
Someone who doesn't have a past they can't face
Someone not you and someone not me
Maybe then we could see what was never meant to be
I wish I had never let you see behind my mask
I wish you had never shown me what poetic chaos was in your brain
Ignorance was my contentment and my protection
And now I'm cursed with the knowledge that has made it very plain
I never should have allowed myself to dream
I know I could never be what you need
Because destroying you would eventually be the death of me
Catharsis
by Luna Ward
I don’t exist because of love, but because of a past sin
Then I paid my family’s penance so they could feel cleansed
And it was my mother who led me like a lamb to the slaughter
As I was the last to know I was not her husband’s daughter
Then I paid my family’s penance so they could feel cleansed
And it was my mother who led me like a lamb to the slaughter
As I was the last to know I was not her husband’s daughter
I understand now I should have never been born
A candle unlit so there was nothing to mourn
My entire life was filled with lies and nothing but pretend
Because I was born, not out of love, but from an act of revenge
A candle unlit so there was nothing to mourn
My entire life was filled with lies and nothing but pretend
Because I was born, not out of love, but from an act of revenge
And I finally realized blood doesn’t wash anything clean
Because now I bear the stains my mother didn’t want seen
But I just couldn’t keep carrying the burden of her sin
Because it was never enough and went on without end
Because now I bear the stains my mother didn’t want seen
But I just couldn’t keep carrying the burden of her sin
Because it was never enough and went on without end
Even now as the wheel spins ‘round to September
I am forced to anxiously and vividly remember
All of the lonely years where I suffered in silence
Turning my mind into a storm of vicious self-violence
I am forced to anxiously and vividly remember
All of the lonely years where I suffered in silence
Turning my mind into a storm of vicious self-violence
Someone please forgive me for the sins of the past
If I work really hard I might be deemed worthy at last
And I’m tired of being nailed to a cross for someone else’s sins
She may have chosen my beginning but I choose how it ends
If I work really hard I might be deemed worthy at last
And I’m tired of being nailed to a cross for someone else’s sins
She may have chosen my beginning but I choose how it ends
More Lilith than Eve
by Luna Ward
I am not your dream girl
I am not some glitter-streaked
Manic pixie plucked straight from your fantasies
I am a complicated mess of a human being
Complete with my own hopes and schemes
I have my own baggage and past mistakes that haunt my dreams
I am not some glitter-streaked
Manic pixie plucked straight from your fantasies
I am a complicated mess of a human being
Complete with my own hopes and schemes
I have my own baggage and past mistakes that haunt my dreams
I am not your sweetheart
I am not some airy waif with patience endless
And my whole life all about someone else
I won’t be waiting for you in red heels and a cocktail dress
Instead I’ll be wearing my baggiest, saggiest, holeyest clothes
And my hair will be perfectly uncoiffed
I am not some airy waif with patience endless
And my whole life all about someone else
I won’t be waiting for you in red heels and a cocktail dress
Instead I’ll be wearing my baggiest, saggiest, holeyest clothes
And my hair will be perfectly uncoiffed
I do not exist for you
I am not some supporting player in the drama that is your life.
I am not your sister, your daughter, your mother, your girlfriend, or your wife.
But I will be the one to give you strife
I will not be content with playing just some random, delegated role
And I want more for myself than you could possibly know
I am not some supporting player in the drama that is your life.
I am not your sister, your daughter, your mother, your girlfriend, or your wife.
But I will be the one to give you strife
I will not be content with playing just some random, delegated role
And I want more for myself than you could possibly know
I am not that perfect girl
Don’t pin that label on someone like me
What I am is a perfect storm of emotional fury
A hurricane of too many desires and needs
I have more moods than you could ever hope to see
And more anger than is probably good for me
Don’t pin that label on someone like me
What I am is a perfect storm of emotional fury
A hurricane of too many desires and needs
I have more moods than you could ever hope to see
And more anger than is probably good for me
I won’t smile for you
I’m not performing for you
I’m the main character of my own story
I have my own life to live, my own scars that cause pain
I have family and friends and dreams that won’t tame
I especially want you to know I have a goddamned name
I’m not performing for you
I’m the main character of my own story
I have my own life to live, my own scars that cause pain
I have family and friends and dreams that won’t tame
I especially want you to know I have a goddamned name
Rejected
by Luna Ward
I can’t forget the feel of your hand as it trailed down my spine
And the tender warmth from your fingers traced a line
Like you were gently plucking the guitar strings of my soul
And the melody you played sparked my desire for something more
And the tender warmth from your fingers traced a line
Like you were gently plucking the guitar strings of my soul
And the melody you played sparked my desire for something more
Unfortunately, reality then came crashing back in
Making me feel the overwhelming weight of my sins
I noticed that you were building a wall made of stone
Retaking the pieces of yourself that were out on loan
Making me feel the overwhelming weight of my sins
I noticed that you were building a wall made of stone
Retaking the pieces of yourself that were out on loan
It seems there’s so much pain you keep trying to hide
Maybe you fear no one could truly love your darker side
I decided to retreat with my tail tucked between my legs
Realizing I had made myself vulnerable only to be rejected again
Maybe you fear no one could truly love your darker side
I decided to retreat with my tail tucked between my legs
Realizing I had made myself vulnerable only to be rejected again
I have always felt like I was drowning in a tumultuous sea
Screaming and waving my hands so very desperately
But you were hiding your own secret from every inquiry
Because you were also drowning in your own sea of misery
Screaming and waving my hands so very desperately
But you were hiding your own secret from every inquiry
Because you were also drowning in your own sea of misery
I wish I knew what you found about me that was so wrong
It’s so much easier to blame myself for being strung along
Because it’s too hard to forgive all the faults I imagine I see
The faults that belong to the most broken parts of me
It’s so much easier to blame myself for being strung along
Because it’s too hard to forgive all the faults I imagine I see
The faults that belong to the most broken parts of me
Your voice calls me away from my memories
Bringing me back from my silent reveries
And my stupid fucking heart skips yet another beat
Making me wish I had the courage to completely retreat
Bringing me back from my silent reveries
And my stupid fucking heart skips yet another beat
Making me wish I had the courage to completely retreat
I fear I am the world’s stupidest idiot
Because to my misery you are completely oblivious
And honestly, I never wanted to feel this way
The price for wanting more has always been too high to pay
Because to my misery you are completely oblivious
And honestly, I never wanted to feel this way
The price for wanting more has always been too high to pay
I really, really wish I knew what made you change
Now things between us are just awkward and strange
I think I’ve been searching for something I can’t reach
It’s always just beyond me no matter how much I beseech
Now things between us are just awkward and strange
I think I’ve been searching for something I can’t reach
It’s always just beyond me no matter how much I beseech
So now I’ve become used to living in this fantasy
I’ve known all along that’s all you can ever really be
A ghost. A mirage. You’re not even a maybe
But I refuse to let you turn me into a crybaby
I’ve known all along that’s all you can ever really be
A ghost. A mirage. You’re not even a maybe
But I refuse to let you turn me into a crybaby
Maybe you cared more about your own ego being bruised
Still, I won’t stay for you and I won’t stay to be used
I refuse to beg you for a scrap of a shred of a crumb of affection
Because I know that ends with just me and my broken reflection
Still, I won’t stay for you and I won’t stay to be used
I refuse to beg you for a scrap of a shred of a crumb of affection
Because I know that ends with just me and my broken reflection
I know now we were simply never meant to be
If only I could stop acting so fucking batshit-moody
And learn to love the one who needs my love the most: Me.
If only I could stop acting so fucking batshit-moody
And learn to love the one who needs my love the most: Me.
Spectrum
by Luna Ward
Blue is for boys and pink is for girls!
Pink is for girls and blue is for boys!
But how arbitrary is that thought?
When not very long ago
Pink was for boys and blue was for girls
How can electromagnetic radiation adhere to gender roles?
When I was very young
I would take my markers of pink and blue
and mix them together into
a glorious amalgamation of an amethyst hue
Back then, pink wasn’t even my favorite
What I loved was the brightest of greens
Like the grass I often ran through barefoot
And the windy whispers of summer trees
But then I was never seen as just a child
I wasn’t quite human, something lesser
Admonished to always keep my legs crossed
I learned who I was supposed to be at the hands of my oppressors
But I am more than that delicate pink blossom
Hell, I am neither delicate nor pink
I am simply a human who wants to be free
But my hips and breasts mean for men I must shrink
But what if I don’t see myself that way at all?
What if I am a bird with purple wings flying free?
What if I am the electromagnetic radiation in every spectrum?
What if I am a child of the fae who refuses to bend my knee?
Would you respect the me I tell you I see?
Or will you continue to force me to drink your poison?
Will you continue to force me to be less than human?
Or will you finally let me be the colors I have chosen?
About Luna Ward
Luna is a writer and a student. She is a founding member of PCC's literature club, the RDB, and hopes to see more of her work published in the future.
Area of Study:
AA in English
Water
by Corinne Wilder
Water
Mist, muggy grog
Like a blanket over a grass bed
I think I can hear the ticks of a bird’s soft tread.
They flicker their wings in the cool granite bath
Rain falls, the heartbeat of people begins to s l o w
Dark red flowers of hatred remake and grow,
Hope begins to lift
The seed, take flight …blow,
Water flushes out and replenishes the soul.
Moldy, white chipped paint from a window,
Falling off as the wind blows
Above the little girl who tiptoes
In the rain.
Ocean
by Corinne Wilder
Seasalt breeze, a fresh unreeling feeling
Tiny baby shells with pastel orange seams
Crashing waves calm you as if you're dreaming.
Recess of children souring on curling water queens,
Scads of crabs burrow through sandy streams.
Seasalt breeze, a fresh unreeling feeling.
Seashore lined with colorful rock kings.
Towels blow in the wind like party streams.
Crashing waves calm you as if you're dreaming.
Tiny piping plovers scatter like pom poms running.
The birds take flight with their gentle wings.
Seasalt breeze, a fresh unreeling feeling.
Fat seagulls fly with Cheeto cuisine.
Jellys lay dead on the seashore seam.
Crashing waves calm you as if you're dreaming.
Bright neon moon glowing evenings.
The sunset like a bright orange highlight in the skies
Seasalt breeze, a fresh unreeling feeling.
Crashing waves calm you as if you're dreaming
About Corinne Wilder
My inspiration for these pieces is my childhood, which was spent running on south coast beaches and taking barefoot walks in the forests of Massachusetts.
Area of Study:
Undecided
