The Mandala - Iowa Association of Alternative Education

Transcription

The Mandala - Iowa Association of Alternative Education
The Mandala
The Mandala
Vol. VI
Published and Sponsored By
The Northeast Iowa Alternative Teachers
And the Iowa Association of Alternative Education
© 2008
Editorial Board
Don Betts
Dawn Brown
Karen Buechele
Jean Klunder
Kris Martin
Cheryl Olson
Jon Stull
Special thanks to students in Rockefeller Alternative High
School Program, Calmar, for editorial assistance.
Introduction
What is a mandala? Mandala is the Sanskrit word for
“sacred circle.” The Tibetan word for mandala means
“center of the universe in which a fully awakened being
abides.” Circles are universally associated with meditation, healing, and prayer. Mandalas have been used for
thousands of years in Native American, Hindu, and Buddhist practices to express wholeness, unity, the womb,
completion, and eternity.
Mandalas are geometrical art forms that represent the
forces of the world, intricate symbols drawn within geometric shapes of different colors to form a perfect circle.
People through the ages have used these metaphysical
maps to explore their places in the universe. Mandalas
can be used as tools for psychological insight, objects of
meditation, and forms of artistic expression.
Like the mandalas, may the original art herein collected
be an expression of exploration of the forces that have
shaped the lives of the authors.
ii
About the Cover
I drew this because I think it has a lot of different meanings like light and dark, good and bad, and night and day.
It has a lot of different personalities, which will work well
for The Mandala because a lot of different people with
different personalities put stuff into this mandala.
Heidi Haut
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
iii
Table of Contents
Introduction
ii
About the Cover
Heidi Haut
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
iii
One Life
Misty Donaldson
Kanesville High School
Council Bluffs
1
Untitled Artwork
Jennifer Newkirk
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
2
The Best
Kayla Kron
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
3
Feelings
Mikie Ulm
Expo High School
Waterloo
4
However, Not
Dylan Coon
Expo High School
Waterloo
5
Untitled
Ryan Brown
Regional Education Center
Oelwein
6
The Way
Sheyenne Chambers
Elizabeth Tate High School
Iowa City
7
Everything
Dani Calhoun
Carrie Lane High School
Charles City
8
iv
The Eye of Another
Ashley Brix
Central Alternative School
DeWitt
9
Bewilderment of Love
Sawyer Bartlett
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
10
How Much I Care
Haili Griffeth
Kanesville High School
Council Bluffs
11
Girl
Antonio Garcia
Kanesville High School
Council Bluffs
12
Stolen Heart
Beki Garrett
Crusade High School
Morning Sun
13
Pain
James Stanford
Greenview High School
Waverly
14
Why
Caprie Chapman
Crusade High School
Morning Sun
16
Untitled Artwork
Johnathon Duffey
Rockefeller Alternative High School Program
Calmar
17
Kaden
Alexis Ward
New Directions Alternative High School Program
Tipton
18
A Bittersweet Resolution
Monica Rae McMillen
Kanesville High School
Council Bluffs
19
v
Danija
Marrissa Gooden
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
20
Peer Pressure
Darin Markovic
Expo High School
Waterloo
21
Dreams
Amanda Nichole Brady
Carrie Lane High School
Charles City
22
Untitled Artwork
Kat Austin
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
23
Jacob
Jacob Harris
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
24
I Am
Jeffery Elfgen
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
25
With You
Caitlin Kerr
Elizabeth Tate High School
Iowa City
26
Untitled Artwork
Elizabeth Lawson
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
27
My Father‟s Hands
Hailey Kitchen
Central Alternative School
DeWitt
28
Children of Divorce
Sammie Streets
Maquoketa Alternative Classroom
Maquoketa
29
vi
Grief
Nikita Heidi Houston
Expo High School
Waterloo
30
Where Am I?
Renee Epps
Expo High School
Waterloo
31
Captain
Kellee Gaede, Kayla Jackson, and Trent C. Lang
Expo High School
Waterloo
32
The Sky
Brittany Paulus
Carrie Lane High School
Charles City
33
Untitled
Megan Kramme
Rockefeller Alternative High School Program
Calmar
34
Thanks Very Much
Renee Seydel
Elizabeth Tate High School
Iowa City
35
Poem of Hope
Ashly Gaskins
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
36
Untitled Artwork
Rich Calkins
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
37
How Did This Happen?
Heather Turner
Expo High School
Waterloo
38
T.J.V.
Kirstin Baker
Greenview High School
Waverly
39
vii
A Lost Friend
Michael Maxson
Rockefeller Alternative High School Program
Calmar
40
September 11th
Kayla Steadman
Rockefeller Alternative High School Program
Calmar
42
Fight and Cry
April Hull
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
43
I Am Driven to Annoyance
Jessica Chehak
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
44
Ask a Silly Question
Ali Almanza
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
45
Untitled Artwork
Sawyer Bartlett
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
46
Call for Submissions
Inside Cover
viii
One Life
Misty Donaldson
Kanesville High School
Council Bluffs
You only have one life, so do with it what you will.
You only have one life, so listen to your heart.
You only have one life, so live it minute-to-minute.
You only have one life, so make sure you live it.
You only have one life, so open up your heart.
You only have one life, so don‟t stay hidden in the dark.
You only have one life, so don‟t be afraid.
You only have one life, so don‟t waste it.
1
Untitled
Jennifer Newkirk
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
2
The Best
Kayla Kron
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
I‟ve been waiting for something better than this.
I want to feel like a girl who just got her first kiss.
I want to feel like a million bucks.
I want to feel like life doesn‟t suck.
I want to be more than a loser.
I want to be more than a someone.
I want my past to stay behind.
I want my future to be in line.
I want to go to college and become a success.
I don‟t want to be anything less.
I do my best.
Why do you want to put me to the test?
So, if you want, join me please.
We‟ll all be the best, try and see.
3
Feelings
Mikie Ulm
Expo High School
Waterloo
I wish I could tell you exactly how I feel inside,
but every time I get the chance I get too scared—
scared that I will scare you away
or that you don‟t feel the same way.
I keep my feelings inside where nobody can find them—
ever.
4
However, Not
Dylan Coon
Expo High School
Waterloo
You want respect,
But you do nothing in return.
Your heart freezes,
And your fiery eyes burn.
This amp is blaring,
Yet my songs are left unheard.
I wear this mask of a smile
Just to hide my sorrow from you.
I want to tell you,
But there is nothing I can do.
I want to love you.
However, not.
This empty hole
Is where my heart is to rot.
I can‟t stand it,
„Cause I really do love you a lot.
I want to love you
More often than not.
I try to tell you,
But you just don‟t listen to me.
Don‟t want to live my life
In constant misery.
I want to love you.
However, not.
This empty hole
Is where my heart is to rot.
I can‟t stand it,
„Cause I really do love you a lot.
I want to love you
More often than not.
5
Untitled
Ryan Brown
Regional Education Center
Oelwein
Can I lie inside your arms tonight?
Take me away to a better place.
Can I sleep in your heart tonight?
Each beat a name without a face.
I‟ve known you only hours.
But this alcohol makes it years.
In this bed of lies tonight,
I can chase away your tears.
I say I‟ll call you.
You say okay.
Last looks are exchanged.
You say it‟s better off this way.
Six months have come and gone.
Your number lies alone.
I haven‟t called in four whole months.
Your face still remains unknown.
Eight months, it‟s someone different,
From another broken home.
I whisper in your itching ear
As we lie here all alone.
Can I lie inside your arms tonight?
Take me away to a better place.
Can I sleep in your heart tonight?
Each beat a name without a face.
6
The Way
Sheyenne Chambers
Elizabeth Tate High School
Iowa City
Sometimes at night when I look to the sky,
I start to think of you. Then I ask myself, why?
Why do I love you?
I think and smile because I know the list could run on for
miles—
The whisper of your voice,
The warmth of your touch,
So many little things that make me love you so much!
The way you support me and help with my emotions.
The way that you care and show such devotion.
The way that your kiss fills me with desire,
And how you hold me with the warmth of a blazing fire!
The way your eyes shine when you look at me,
Lost with you forever is where I want to be!
The way that I feel when you‟re by my side,
A sense of completion and overflowing pride!
The dreams that I dream that all involve you,
The possibilities I see, and the things we could do!
How you finish the puzzle that lies within my heart,
How that deep in my soul you are the most important
part.
I could go on for days, telling of how I feel,
But all you really must know is my love for you is real.
7
Everything
Dani Calhoun
Carrie Lane High School
Charles City
Look into my eyes; you will see
What you mean to me.
Search your heart; search your soul.
When you find me there, you‟ll search no more.
Don‟t tell me it‟s not worth trying for.
You can‟t tell me it‟s not worth dying for.
You know it‟s true.
Everything I do, I do it for you.
Look into your heart. You will find
There‟s nothing there to hide.
Take me as I am; take my life.
I would give it all; I would sacrifice.
Don‟t tell me it‟s not worth fighting for.
I can‟t help it; there‟s nothing I want more.
You know it‟s true.
Everything I do, I do it for you.
8
The Eye of Another
Ashley Brix
Central Alternative School
DeWitt
9
Bewilderment of Love
Sawyer Bartlett
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
Is my heart where love is?
Does love cloud judgment?
Should I put others before myself?
Will love survive death?
Will you find your true love?
Have you already but don‟t recognize it?
Is love worth the pain that accompanies it?
Does time cease when you are together?
Will that smile ever leave your face?
Does it have to?
10
How Much I Care
Haili Griffeth
Kanesville High School
Council Bluffs
What happened between us?
What caused this change of heart?
I just want to know what happened
Because it‟s tearing me apart.
I hide my feelings from you
So you don‟t see my pain.
I want you to be happy,
But my tears still fall like rain.
The distance that keeps on growing,
It hurts more every day.
I want to be beside you,
To hear what you have to say.
You want to be just friends. I‟ll try to do my best.
I‟ll be your best friend. Is this another test?
I‟ll be your friend. I‟ll do this just for you.
Until the very end, I‟ll be in love with you.
I don‟t know how this started,
And I don‟t know how it will end.
But life without you hurts me
So I‟ll try and be your friend.
I like the person I‟ve become
When you‟re in my sight.
I‟ve become a better person
And for this I will fight.
I know God loves me,
And He always does what‟s right.
So I‟ll wait and see what happens.
I don‟t want to cause a fight.
Even though my heart is breaking
A little more every day,
I‟ll never let you see that.
You‟ll always think I‟m okay,
But I‟m not.
11
Girl
Antonio Garcia
Kanesville High School
Council Bluffs
12
Stolen Heart
Beki Garrett
Crusade High School
Morning Sun
It was love at first sight.
And try as I might,
I could not find
A way to get you off my mind.
You‟ve stolen my heart
And given me a brand new start.
I just want you to know
That as our love grows,
Please treat my heart with care.
Be fair.
Don‟t break my heart
By wanting to be apart
Because I am in love with you,
And I feel everything you do.
You‟ve stolen my heart
So please be smart.
13
Pain
James Stanford
Greenview High School
Waverly
Time goes by as I wish it wouldn‟t.
So, I don‟t have to live this lie for much longer.
Each second goes by, and I hurt more and more
As bloody tears roll down my face.
I don‟t need this.
I don‟t want this.
Come kiss my pain away.
Time has yet to pause,
And I‟m going insane.
Shamelessly, this creature holds me down,
Not letting me go.
I‟m a prisoner in my own world.
I sit and watch my reflection
As bloody tears roll down my face.
I don‟t need this.
I don‟t want this.
Come kiss my pain away.
It laughs when I cry,
Watches me from afar.
I know what it doesn‟t.
I have what it longs for.
I‟m merciless in a battle to the death,
And when it dies, I‟ll laugh.
I‟ll be free once more,
And bloody tears of joy will run down my face once more.
14
Kiss my pain away.
Join me.
Let‟s run away
To a place where there‟s just you and I,
Never to be bothered.
But, this is only my imagination—
A wish, a dream
That will hopefully one day be fulfilled.
Until then,
The blood I shed will take its place,
And you will forever be a shadow in my dark future.
15
Why
Caprie Chapman
Crusade High School
Morning Sun
Every day I look at you,
Hoping it couldn‟t be, knowing it‟s true,
Wishing it was a dream.
But, actually, you set my heart free
From all this pain and misery.
16
Untitled
Johnathon Duffey
Rockefeller Alternative High School Program
Calmar
17
Kaden
Alexis Ward
New Directions Alternative High School Program
Tipton
When we found out we were pregnant,
We weren‟t sure how it would turn out,
But we knew we would keep him.
There was no doubt.
I was only seventeen,
And maybe a little scared.
People said I was too young,
But who really cared?
As he grew and developed,
We couldn‟t wait.
We were excited to be parents
And couldn‟t wait „til the date.
I thought I would be pregnant forever.
I was worried about the pain.
But when I finally went into labor,
I knew I would never be the same.
Nineteen and a half hours later,
We had our baby son.
He was so precious and perfect.
Our life together had just begun.
As he‟s grown over the months,
He‟s changed in different ways.
He‟s learned so much so fast,
It seems like it‟s only been days.
He‟s nine months old now
And almost walking.
He can crawl already
And is almost talking.
It‟s crazy how quickly
Kids can grow.
You close your eyes once,
And you never know.
18
A Bittersweet Resolution
Monica Rae McMillen
Kanesville High School
Council Bluffs
Continuation of “Questions of a Young Teenage Couple,”
The Mandala, Vol. V.
12/10/2007. One year later, and he is still not here. A lot
of things have happened, some good and some bad. I
don‟t think she knows yet that he is gone or that he was
ever here. I wonder what she‟ll say when I tell her. I
hope she isn‟t sad. I hate to see her cry. Will she even
care? Although, I‟m sure she will wonder how much she
looks like him. She has his eyes and his smile. It
amazes me every day how much she has grown. Christmas is coming soon, and there are a lot of presents under the tree. Most of them are from her daddy-by-choice
and a couple are from me. I used to want her birth father
in her life. Now I‟m not so sure. He‟s been gone for so
long, and she loves her new daddy so much. Anyone
can be a father, but it takes a real man to choose to be a
daddy. I don‟t want her to be confused. Maybe it‟s better he isn‟t around. Maybe it‟s better he doesn‟t care. I
think I‟m okay with that now. We have a beautiful family,
and that‟s all we need. We have a beautiful daughter,
and that‟s all we see.
19
Danija
Marrissa Gooden
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
Danija
Funny, greedy, happy, cute
Cousin of Precious and LaNiya
Lover of her mommy and daddy
Who wants everything she sees
Who puts everything in her mouth
Who likes to crawl and sometimes walk
Who would like to be the boss
Who loves everyone
Born in Davenport
Matthews.
20
Peer Pressure
Darin Markovic
Expo High School
Waterloo
Something like a female trying to get at me
And she like a drug, but I resist with ease
But that drug‟s a disease
She said no please
So she got pleased
She in
So I come to refresh like Febreze®
They say get the cheese
While others out here with souls that can‟t bleed
Froze because it got them
Cold
But it can‟t get me
So it‟s lurkin‟ in my dreams
It‟s a monster
It got them all
So, I escape and wake up before I fall
It can‟t get me
I don‟t play
I shoot to kill
So, I‟ll shoot and kill
21
Dreams
Amanda Nichole Brady
Carrie Lane High School
Charles City
I sit here in my own little world.
I look outside, and I feel so alone in this place.
My mom is dead to me but lives miles down the road.
“I don‟t want you,” she says. “Never come here again.”
My dad is alive, but he is lost in his own ways.
“I love you,” he says.
I sit here still. I look under my bed.
Lost memories are swimming there—
Pain and hurt flow through my mind.
I start to cry for the first time in ages.
The tears flow and fall like rain.
I shiver and weep.
I feel like a little child.
I just wish that my life would go back to the way it was—
The way it should be—
With the hugs every night, and most importantly,
The I love yous.
22
Untitled
Kat Austin
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
23
Jacob
Jacob Harris
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
Jacob
Quiet, shaggy brown hair, blue eyes, kind
Brother of Jason and Sam
Lover of fun, reading, and everything
Who feels anxious
Who needs satisfaction
Who gives carbon dioxide
Who fears unrestrained heights
Who would like to see a new color that has never been
seen before
Resident of Davenport
Harris
24
I Am
Jeffery Elfgen
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
I am a quiet kid that likes to work on cars.
I wonder what my life will be like in the future.
I hear people doing their work.
I see mixed emotions all around.
I want some pizza and hot wings.
I am a quiet kid who likes to work on cars.
I pretend to like this place but don‟t.
I feel like the kid who stands out.
I touch people‟s hearts, so I‟ve been told.
I worry about many things in life.
I‟ll cry for good reason, not just for nothing.
I am a quiet kid that likes to work on cars.
I understand most things in life.
I say live life one day at a time.
I dream of dreams.
I try to live life to the fullest.
I hope everybody does well in life.
I am a quiet kid that likes to work on cars.
25
With You
Caitlin Kerr
Elizabeth Tate High School
Iowa City
The crunching leaves beneath your hooves
As you walk, carrying me up high under the vibrant sky.
I sit there knowing you can protect me from anything
While I pretend everything is fine when I‟m with you.
26
Untitled
Elizabeth Lawson
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
27
My Father‟s Hands
Hailey Kitchen
Central Alternative School
DeWitt
My father‟s hands are a mystery.
I know they‟re there.
I just can‟t find them.
I long to feel the roughness of them.
Once I felt them,
And now they are gone,
Gone in the lapse of time.
I can see them.
I can feel them.
They‟re there but only through memory,
And that memory will never be forgotten.
28
Children of Divorce
Sammie Streets
Maquoketa Alternative Classroom
Maquoketa
Here‟s a little story.
Knowing that I can‟t change a thing,
If I could change the moment, I would,
Knowing this is one big lie—
Living the lives our parents set for us,
Following their footsteps—knowing they‟ve been through
hell.
It‟s crazy how that works, huh?
Growing up, hoping to turn out differently,
But then as we get older, we realize that we have grown
up to be what they once were.
Next thing you know, we hear over the radio about parents
beating their children.
Divorce might be the best choice, but children get brought
into it more each day.
Late nights we tend to dream of happy families and laughing parents.
Then, we get that ounce of reality and everything goes
wrong.
The children are no longer; adults they have become,
Telling themselves every step of the way,
“We won‟t be our parents; we have set goals; goals are
set to be achieved. We are free to be.”
29
Grief
Nikita Heidi Houston
Expo High School
Waterloo
Grief is what I feel everyday. Grief is a very powerful
feeling. I feel myself grieving whenever I think about my
past. I feel pain like someone is stabbing my heart. I
just can‟t get over it; I just can‟t. Why can‟t I just have
my family back? That is all I want—to have my life back
to when everything made sense in my life. I miss having
with me my family that loves and cares for me. I have a
really hard time forgiving people who hurt me, especially
the people that I really loved and cared about. I feel so
lonely inside. I feel abandonment and disappointment. I
have scars on my heart from people who have hurt me
so much.
30
Where Am I?
Renee Epps
Expo High School
Waterloo
Where am I?
I said, where am I?
Does anyone hear me?
Does anyone see me?
If it wasn‟t for God,
Where would I be?
Would I be above you?
Would I be beside you?
Or, would I be beneath you?
Trying to reach for help,
Or trying to reach for a sin.
I wonder,
When will the world end?
Or, will it ever end?
Waiting for something to happen,
Or, waiting for something to begin.
Something new.
Something surprising.
Do you understand?
31
Captain
Kellee Gaede
Kayla Jackson
Trent C. Lang
Expo High School
Waterloo
32
The Sky
Brittany Paulus
Carrie Lane High School
Charles City
The sky is deep; the sky is dark.
The light of stars is so dang stark.
When I look up, I fill with fear.
If all we have is what lies here,
This lonely world, this troubled place,
The cold, dead stars and empty space,
Well, I see no reason to pressure,
No reason to laugh or shed a tear,
No reason to sleep or ever to wake,
No promises to keep and none to make.
And, so at night I still raise my eyes
To study the clear but mysterious skies
That arch above us, as cold as stone.
Are you there God?
Are we alone?
33
Untitled
Megan Kramme
Rockefeller Alternative High School Program
Calmar
Sometimes your worst fears
Begin to come true.
And when that starts to happen,
You don‟t know what to do.
Your dreams collapse,
And memories start to fade.
But the pain goes away
From the cuts you have made.
Cutting is the only thing
That seems to stop the pain.
People don‟t understand
Because they don‟t feel the same.
If they had my life,
They would understand.
And I bet there would be
Someone there to lend a hand.
I don‟t have anyone
To lend a helping hand.
I‟m all alone,
And I understand.
So, people can laugh,
And people can stare,
Because until they live my life,
I don‟t care.
34
Thanks Very Much
Renee Seydel
Elizabeth Tate High School
Iowa City
I wasn‟t tripping.
I had you by my side.
You ain‟t a freak,
You just showing you care.
I got mad,
No one to talk to,
But all I have to say is
Think, and I remember I have you.
So when I get out, we gonna
Get some good food?
Well, let‟s end this.
Love ya, sweety!
35
Poem of Hope
Ashly Gaskins
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
I think it‟s dark where I am.
I cannot find the light.
There are shadows all around me,
And my heart is full of fright.
Everybody is cheerful.
They never even see
Those storm clouds forming
Up above the sea.
I cannot see the future,
And I cannot change the past.
But the present is so heavy,
I don‟t think I am going to last.
36
Untitled
Rich Calkins
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
37
How Did This Happen?
Heather Turner
Expo High School
Waterloo
How did this happen? I couldn‟t even begin to explain.
You were here one minute, and in a flash of a second,
you were suddenly gone.
Left in complete despair of what went wrong,
Tears poured down like rain the day we had to say our
last good-byes.
No longer, though, will we have to see the pain hidden
behind your bright green eyes.
A beautiful person had left us behind.
Why didn‟t we see this coming? We were left in the dark
without a simple warning.
Even though you‟re gone now, your soul will never fade
away.
I wish there would‟ve been a way we could‟ve gotten you
to stay.
How did this happen? I couldn‟t begin to explain.
At least in my heart, I know I‟ll see you again someday.
38
T.J.V.
Kirstin Baker
Greenview High School
Waverly
What is this feeling?
A feeling that makes me warm inside.
A happiness that occurs
When I hear your name,
see your smile,
or when we just hold hands.
A feeling that makes every fiber in my body melt
Every time you say those three words.
A feeling that makes every trouble in the world not even
exist!
Those were feelings I had when you were here.
Now you‟re gone,
Taken away from me by drugs and a gun.
Now all I do is blame myself,
Hating myself for not protecting you!
I tried to join you, but God wouldn‟t take me
But for only thirty seconds.
All I want you to know is that I love you—
Always have, even before you asked me to marry you!
We‟ll meet again soon,
Which may seem like eternity.
But be patient.
Dedicated to my deceased fiancé, Timothy James
Vance, 12/25/1989-09/30/2007. He was 18.
39
A Lost Friend
Michael Maxson
Rockefeller Alternative High School Program
Calmar
In loving memory of Eric Treloar, as written Friday, August 31, 2007, at about 3 p.m.
Earlier today, I was informed that a good friend of mine—
Eric Treloar, R.I.P.—committed suicide. He wasn‟t the
type of guy I would have expected it from. He was
happy ninety percent of the time. He always had a good
joke to tell or something positive to say. Right now, it all
seems very surreal to me.
I have heard of friends of friends doing it, but to have
someone so close to me be gone completely, forever, I
can‟t believe it. Anyone who has lost someone dear to
them due to natural causes or otherwise can relate in
some way. I myself have had people pass on before in
my life, but never someone my own age, nonetheless by
their own doing.
Writing this, in a way, is helping me deal with my loss.
His father was on a fishing trip (he flew back into the
States form Canada when he heard), and Eric was staying with his grandparents. Eric had a spot by a creek
that he frequented to chill out at and just think about
stuff.
The night it happened, he took his grandfather‟s 22 with
him and ended up shooting himself through some
means, which have not been explained to me. I can only
hope he chose a quick, painless death. (I‟d almost
rather not know the details.)
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He was someone who I went to lunch with almost every
day at alternative high school, and I loved and cared for
him dearly. I wish he wouldn‟t have done what he did,
and I know I can‟t even start to feel the pain his family is
in. They must be overwhelmed with sadness and regret,
wondering whether they could have done something. I
know I am, and I haven‟t seen or talked to him since
about March. I was looking forward to seeing him in
school this year, or at least getting a visit from him to our
classroom.
Right now, I haven‟t fully accepted his exit from our plane
of existence. I‟m almost mad at him for what he did, but
how can I be? It feels so wrong to be angry at someone
who was in such pain that he took his own life.
I don‟t know if anyone will read this at all, much less finish reading it to this point. But if you know someone battling depression or even seemingly joking about suicide,
please do your best to comfort them in their time of need
because no one should have to feel the pain of losing a
friend or family member close to them, regardless of the
person‟s race, social status, or the way they act toward
others.
I hope I have caused at least one person to stop and
think about what they just read, because as I have written it, I have been reading it over and over again, trying
to get a grip on what happened two days ago. Ending
your own or another person‟s life is a great responsibility,
and that responsibility is to be held only by God, or whatever higher power you believe in.
I wrote this in loving memory of my friend and schoolmate, Eric Treloar. May God rest his soul.
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September 11th
Kayla Steadman
Rockefeller Alternative High School Program
Calmar
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Fight and Cry
April Hull
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
I do not understand
Why people argue,
Why we fight,
Or why we cry.
But most of all I do not understand
Why we can‟t just all get along.
It shouldn‟t matter who is in the wrong.
But maybe I do understand
Why we argue, fight, and cry.
Is it because people like to make up lies
Just to see someone else cry?
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I Am Driven to Annoyance
Jessica Chehak
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
I am driven to annoyance by
People who screech on the chalkboard,
People who fight,
When people make fun of me.
Perhaps I need to learn how to tune them out.
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Ask a Silly Question
Ali Almanza
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
If I put a question mark at the end of any sentence does
it automatically become a question?
I like to write poetry?
Will this class ever be quiet?
Will time ever stop?
Why do fish need school?
Why don‟t ants have uncles?
Will gravity ever just “give up”?
Does a tree ever read a newspaper?
Do cows “moo” the same in every language?
Do kids in China have to write silly poems like this one?
How can anyone have a good day when I am having a
bad one?
Why do quesadillas have a QU instead of a K?
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Untitled
Sawyer Bartlett
Kimberly Center East
Davenport
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Call for Submissions
The Mandala is collection of art and literary works by
Iowa‟s alternative high school students.
Submissions of poetry, narratives, pencil and (black) ink
illustrations, 8-1/2” x 11” or smaller, or b/w photography,
8” x 10” or smaller, for Volume VII must include student
name, instructor name, school name, and complete
school address. Original artwork should be mailed, but
electronic submissions of written work is accepted. Entries will be accepted September 1 through December
19, 2008.
Additional Copies Available
The initial press run of 200 copies of The Mandala, Vol.
VI, February 2008, was distributed to contributors, their
classroom instructors, STARS attendees, and IAAE
Board members. Printing was done in the Northeast
Iowa Community College Print Shop, Calmar.
Additional copies of The Mandala are available for $2.00
each, which includes postage. Make checks payable to
Northeast Alternative Teachers.
Contact:
Dawn Brown, Instructor
Rockefeller Alternative High School Program
Northeast Iowa Community College
P. O. Box 400
Calmar, IA 52132
brownd@nicc.edu
800.728.2256, Ext. 342