.C7 P5 2001 • o e n 1 x - .! "Every moment some form grows perfect in hand or face; some , tone on the hills or the sea is choicer than the rest; some mood of passion or insight or intellectual excitement is irresistibly real and attractive to us, --for that moment only. Not the fruit of experience, but experience itself, is the end ... To burn always with this hard, gem-like flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is suc cess in life." Walter Pater, Conclusion to the Renaissance THE COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE New Rochelle, New York 10805 Dear Reader, Phoenix has been a publication in which The College of New Rochelle artists have expressed themselves for the past twenty-five years. As we continue this legacy of Phoenix, we can only hope to present the best of our peers to the embracing artistic community. I would like to thank Barbara Crespo and Debra Hedrick for their constant support and optimism throughout this year of new beginnings. The entire Phoenix staff would like to thank Dr. Cynthia Kraman. Her guidance has kept us determined in the creation of this Phoenix edition. I would also like to thank the contributing artists and writers who have been brave enough to publis~ their creative works. Much like the Phoenix bird, each publication of Phoen.ix :is a reincarnation of the last; presenting itself as stronger, and more beau tiful. These works are the revealed treasures of emerging artists. This book is the fire of our passion for the aesthetic element. Jessica Elexis Hamilton Editor-in-Chief cover art: Romance Amy Angeles SAS 2001 photograph ofsculpture Board Members Editor-in-Chief Jessica Elexis Hamilton Assistant Editor/Progrmn Coordinator Barbara Crespo Copy Editor Debra Hedrick Art Editor Ingrid Staats Recording & Corresponding Secretary Carla Eisenstein Business Editor/Treasurer Natara Hamilton Faculty Advisor Dr. Cynthia Kraman Staff Nancy Oberinger Javone Williams Sophilia LeBlanc Jenell Wilke . Starlove Conyers Emma Cobley .! Layout by: Jessica Elexis Hamilton Published by: Phoenix Literary & Art Magazine The College of New Rochelle, School of Arts & Sciences and School of Nursing New Rochelle, New York 10805 Phoenix would like to acknowledge and thank Dr. Cynthia Kramanfor her consistent nurturing and support. Special Thanks to: Dr. Nick Smart, Vera Chernysheva, Esther Kraman, Lord Akhenaton Monroe, and the friends and family of Phoenix Phoenix 2001 Edition Volume #26 All poems and short stories submitted to Phoenix are subject to approval and changes by the editorial board. Copyright 2001 . All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced or trans lnitted in any form without written permission of the publisher. Produced on Power Macintosh G3 system in Quark Xpress™ and Microsoft Word™. Printed by TLM Printing, Inc. New Rochelle, NY. Any resemblance of characters portrayed in this document to persons living or dead, is purely coincidental. In ancient Egypt and in classical antiquity, the Phoenix was a fabulous bird associated with the worship of the sun. The Egyptian phoenix was said to be as large as an eagle, with brilliant scarlet and gold plumage and a melodi • ous cry. Only one Phoenix existed at any time, and it lived a life span of more than 500 years. As its end approached, the Phoenix fashioned a nest of aromatic boughs and spices, set it on fire, and was consumed in the flames. From the pyre miraculously sprang a new Phoenix. The Egyptians associated the Phoenix with immortality, and that symbol ism had a widespread appeal in late antiquity. It was also widely interpreted as an allegory of resurrection and life • after death--ideas that also appealed to emergent Christianity. Phoenix is also the literary & art magazine for The College of New Rochelle. Published annually in the spring of each academic year, this magazine showcases the artistic talents of The College of New Rochelle community. Submissions considered for this publication are accepted from students and faculty in the School of Arts & Sciences and the School of Nursing. All forms of art are welcome. All advertising and submissions for next year's edition can be sent to the following address: Phoenix Literary & Art Magazine, The College of New Rochelle, 29 Castle Place, New Rochelle, NY 10805. Correspondance may be sent electronically to : [email protected] The views and opinions expressed by the contribut ing artists do not necessarily express those of the editorial board, selection committee, staff or of The College of New Rochelle. Jabfe of Gonfenfs Poems. Prose and Art A Chant for Smoother Edges Rebecca Teetsel 8 Ecstasy Bessie E. Whitfield 8 Mandala & Thoughts to Accompany the Mandala INS 101: Dr. Malloy 9 No Looking Back Tara Marie Tocci 10 Destiny Cicely Caldwell 10 Walking Away on Gray Jessica E. Hamilton 11 Rain Song Diana Creaturo 12 Rain Drops Lori Lipman 13 Rain Javone A. Williams 13 Ophelia Tara Kistler 14 At Midday ·Sonsiris Tamayo 14 ./ I Want To Give Up! Banae Vickers 15 Delicate Lines Estela Garcia 16 Painful Shade of Blue Tara Marie Tocci 16 End Benedetta Serraino 17 ,. Untitled Daniela Iavarone 17 Shadow Puppets Nancy Oberinger /8 The Housewife (a.k.a. Love Story) Mary E. Dooner 18 • Blood Brothers Lisa Donovic 19 Shoes Heidi Hughes 20 The Puppeteer Sherri Carolus 21 Little Black Girl Heather Fontaine 22 My Garden Cicely Caldwell 23 Down by the Willow Tree Martine Beaubrun 23 The Rabbi Twirls the Fringes on his Tallis Carla Eisenstein 24 Type 0 Barbara Crespo 24 Orphan Lusta Jean 25 A Daughter's Memory Qiana Nunez 25 Under Wraps Anne Houle 26 Good-bye Valerie Florville 27 You Had Me at Hello Lusta Jean 27 Untitled [as the tracks are ridden] Diana Wilkins 28 Untitled Daniela Iavarone 28 Gray Erica Pitts 29 Mirror, Mirror Jessica M. LaBella 30 Inadequacy Javone A. Williams 30 Untitled Patricia Bernard 31 Two Jenell Wilke 32 Boston Mary E. Dooner 33 Beautified Fear Stacey Fatigate 34 A Peaceful Place Karianne M. Weber 34 Untitled [my eyes burn to see her] Diana Wilkins 35 Diner Tara Kistler 35 Temptation Carol Murray 36 Mask Anne Houle 37 Pebbles Lori Lipman 38 Reclaiming the Concrete Jungle Tara Kistler 38 Quien Soy Yo? Sonsiris Tamayo 39 I Will Survive Nadine Alvarez 39 Without Secrets Carla Eisenstein 40 Nostalgia Lusta Jean 40 Dream (prose and photograph) Mary E. Dooner 47 Unleash the Fear Chimere Clark 42 Rafting Debra Hedrick 43 Waves Lori Lipman 43 Who Am 1? Banae Vickers 44 Eye Tara Kistler 45 Apples & Ham Diana L. Creaturo 46 We Were· ln~ocent Jessica E. Hamilton 48 Caged Children Daniela Iavarone 49 Carnation Lori Lipman 50 Nature in Two Parts Barbara Crespo 50 Who Am I? Natara P. Hamilton 57 The First Kiss Martine Beaubrun 52 Young, Black Woman: Embrace Your Sexuality Melana Rodgriguez 52 Ecstasy Martine Beaubrun 53 The Podium Javone A. Williams 53 Untitled Patricia Bernard 54 Short Stories Adventures on Lunatic Patrol Rebecca Teetsel 56 Angelina & Eddie Jessica M. LaBella 59 Reflections at Seventeen Sonsiris Tamayo 63 Sundari Mary Job 65 Rose Lori Lipman 68 Poems,_ Prase and Art • A Chant for Smoother Edges It's all there in that single rose Hanging on the wall, Bound and inverted like a sex crime victim All the love and hate. All the bruises and breaks, kisses and long looks The disposable smiles And all the secrets, yours and mine Everything hangs there Preserved imperfectly in the dried petals, Nothing left but a shadow of past glory A minute is all you can expect from perfection • Rebecca Teetsel SAS 200~ Ecstasy Ecstasy is tall, bald & brown Ecstasy comes around changes your frowns & disappears like a thief in the night. Ecstasy is not always right, but in the middle of delight when you scream & moan & he changes his tone. Do you stop & think, does your mind even seek the awareness that he will be gone next week! But for now Ecstasy is here, so you have no fear. Life is so fine that all that's on your mind is Damn! Ecstasy is tall, bald, & brown. Bessie E. Whitfield 8 Thoughts to Accompany the Mandala As we leave imprints of our natural curiosity and vulnerability Mandala Our childhood innocence, like the dusk, has INS 101 :Dr. Malloy passed. collage • While embracing the light of a new day, we unveil the power of knowledge to write our own story. And we wait, with fear, with hope, with passion in the night. Light and life unfold in waves of self consciousness stitched together in a rich garment of human connection. The next wave will be our sons and daughters. And the story never ends. INS 101: Self in Context Fall 2000 Dr. Malloy's class 9