ARGUS 2021 LITERARY & ART MAGAZINE 1 ARGUS 2021 LITERARY & ART MAGAZINE THE STORY OF ARGUS According to Greek mythology, Argus was a giant with one hundred eyes. While some of his eyes “slept,” he kept watch with the others. Hermes lulled Argus to sleep with his magic lyre and slew him with a stone. Upon finding the dead Argus, Hera, queen of the Gods, placed his eyes in the tail of a peacock. The cover of Argus traditionally rep- resents this ancient legend handed down to us by the Greeks. The title was chosen to represent the different views and opinions of readers as though each perspective were an eye of the peacock. Staff Allie Atkinson Editor-in-Chief Valeria Correa Design Editor Valeria Nieto Assistant Design Editor Kristen Culver Copy Editor Chloe Bank Assistant Editor Scarlett Lachney Junior Editor Kailyn Frederick Junior Editor McKenzie Seastrunk Junior Editor Kirsten Sonnier Junior Editor EDITOR’S NOTE “This past year has given rise to life-altering changes that are unparal- leled and thus, do not lend themselves to a one-word summary. When picking a theme for this yearly edition, I wanted students to use Argus as a creative haven to express their personal thoughts and feelings regarding any topics, especially the ones hard to talk about aloud. Some things are better left on the page. With this in mind, I chose Unfiltered to represent a safe space that writers, photographers, and artists can use to catharti- cally release the stress that we all have struggled to cope with during this unprecedented year. May the pieces speak for themselves.” Allie Atkinson 44 “This past year has given rise to life-altering changes that are unparal- leled and thus, do not lend themselves to a one-word summary. When picking a theme for this yearly edition, I wanted students to use Argus as a creative haven to express their personal thoughts and feelings regarding any topics, especially the ones hard to talk about aloud. Some things are better left on the page. With this in mind, I chose Unfiltered to represent a safe space that writers, photographers, and artists can use to catharti- cally release the stress that we all have struggled to cope with during this unprecedented year. May the pieces speak for themselves.” Allie Atkinson 5 Acknowledgments The Argus staff would like to thank Northwest- ern State for allowing our organization to serve the student body for 45 years. A huge thanks to this year’s judges: Jacob Hammer and Daniel Hoefler (co-judg- es, poetry), Erin Lillo (prose), Anna Macijeski (fine art), and Lené Gary (photography) for their continual sup- port and expertise provided these last two years. Our deepest appreciation goes to Dr. Rebecca Macijeski, Argus’ advisor who has been a consistent support sys- tem throughout the editorial process. The Argus staff would like to express our gratitude to the students and staff who read our yearly editions. Lastly, thank you to submitters for trusting us to share your personal work because through you, Argus has a purpose. 6 table of pOETRY 11 Mahogany Anonymous 12 Self-Compassion Kristen Culver 14 Mulberry Feet Kristen Culver 16 Body Lessons Kristen Culver 18 Clay Kristina Simon 20 My Late Choir Teacher, Who Gave Me Ears That See Kristina Simon 23 The Black Experience Madison Moore L I 25 Greed T E R Carly Chandler A 27 Her R Y Gianna Gros A N 30 Ode to This Matrimony D A Kristen Culver R 34 Sloppy Joes T M Charles Bouchie A G 36 Irreconcilable A Z Kristen Culver IN E 7