The Fall

Mason Alcon

I am alone, falling into the black, Plummeting into my own oblivion. Created by the love they lack And the failure of my salvation.

Falling short is a welcome end To a dead life I would never live. Because my parents have sinned And made a thing they’d never love.

My beautiful sanctity taken away, Smoking and shriveled like charcoal. Burned by the home in which I lay, Dragged in pieces to a bloody bowl.

I fall in a stream of crimson strings, Casting a curse of pain unforgivingly. I can barely wait for what the afterlife brings, As my ungiven life ends unceremoniously.

Rachel Belue

My heart, my soul, it cries. It screams in agony as it burns. It burns, scorched by the trials of life. The trials of life bring pain and suffering to all who must endure them.

All different but painful just the same.

At times our hearts burn with passion and joy. We relish in that fire for it only to burn us and be lost. We continue this cycle, chasing this passionate spark. We can hold so many different perspectives as to why we must endure this wretched cycle of life. Even so, we can’t help ourselves. Our attempts to save ourselves from pain only lead to more. If we go along with the cycle, trying to ride it out, we’re foolish, hopeless romantics.

What then must we do?

We’re only left with those two options. Either way we’re suffering through these trials by fire

Rachel Belue

My head is pounding against my skull.

My heart feels like a weight in my chest.

I can’t even bring myself to fake a smile.

This must be a small glimpse into the depths of despair. And all it took for me to get here was one boy refusing to take a moment out of his day for me.

He claimed he loved me but I can’t bring myself to feel as though that is truly the case.

He’s only become the straw leading to my inevitable fall.

I feel frozen stiff.

I have no will to move. It was taken away.

I feel like the life was drained out of me.

I know the reason.

It’s simple.

It was the straw.

Ashleigh Blair Russell

I have a recurring dream where I am struggling to swim

Water floods me, my life is taken to its rim

I gasp for air, but I find none

My only friend is the scorching sun

Strangely, I see my mother on the shore

I beg for her help, but she just ignores

I fight the currents and plead for aid

But darkness is enclosing, and I am feeling afraid

Just when things go black, I am brought back awake

Tears stream out of my eyes for my life’s sake

I know it is just a dream, but to me it means more

What do I do when death finally opens its door?

Samantha

Bailey

If she doesn’t eat she’s too skinny, But if she does eat she’s too fat.

If she’s too short she needs to grow, But if she’s too tall she needs to shrink.

If she wears too much makeup she looks cakey, But if she doesn’t wear enough she’s ugly.

If she never talks she’s too quiet, But if she talks more she’s too loud.

If she starts to be herself she’s weird, But if she isn’t herself she’s boring. She’s never enough.

Susan Molloy: Pedal to the Metal 33

Winter Simmons: Goo

Tara Hall

all she did was dream, like a cube of something sweet, drawing hope from her veins and screaming out your name to bring the rain, a storm, a city car horn, a war, a fire, but wishing for the better. she says, you could kill and chew your lips to nasty bits, but still you’d be the pulse in my neck and in my wrists. every day she walked on the memory of you, dragging her shoes, by strings, behind her, cutting her soles. she knew, of all her dreams, the one where the weird feeling in her stomach transfers into being thirty-somethings with you with your hand hovering over her belly button, humming some sonata until the vibration of it knocks all your teeth out, was the one she needed most, she’ll never not need you. reaching into that absence, falling in, and drowning.

the plant in her window grows in spite of itself, and days keep scratching themselves out, the itch that won’t stop. the dirt and the dust around her will always carry particles of you, if there’s something more to life, she’ll tie it back to your thin legs and pocket knife, piano keys, bad days, sorry eyes, that soft smile after an exasperated ‘hello’, new haircut, while you’re fifteen and ready to grow but somehow ready to die. four years since your last words to her, a long finger extended to paper, this drawing of a marble man, “but where’s his belly button?” all she did was sigh and scribble something out. she’s just happy you’ve lived all this time, made it to somewhere else, even without her, new orleans where bukowski once cried, talking about the love he lost to some self-loathing, prophetic poetry mission. she’ll never see you alive again. this drawing of a marble man, “but where’s his belly button?” all she did was sigh and scribble something out. she’s just happy you’ve lived all this time, made it to somewhere else, even without her, new orleans where bukowski once cried, talking about the love he lost to some self-loathing,

Tara Hall

Remind me again of that perfect medium between accepting the child, hurt, in my heart and the young woman struggling to rise up and out, trying to find better things. baby’s breath and wine, tell me it’s okay to cry. To milk the last drop out of everything that could have been mine but got away and I have to remember at least I wanted it bad enough to miss it. Otherwise, I would have wasted my time and that’s all any of us really has. We break it like bread and pass it around, one born, another dead. I wanted to clench your shirt in my fist and tell you you reminded me of what it feels like to want to stay up late, up into another day, and yearn for something as simple as to touch your pinky with mine.

I feel alone in my skin for the first time in months, forgetting that once I had trusted my bloody heart in the hands of someone so cold, downing cranberry juice and a glass of bourbon. Long are the days when we remember the dead and how they now strengthen the life that spreads through the roots beneath us.

I was once a young girl who believed beautiful things arose from the ravaged. So I’ll mend cuts and bruises, and try to sew together the spaces between us where I choke down my words of wanting to be your thing forever and make myself bitter so I don’t feel so much like a broken record. So many things made for the purpose of wasting time; jigsaw puzzles, repairing broken automobiles, writing poetry. But trying to find the right thing to say is by far the best one. I guess, if you know, you know. Not eager to drink up the last of me, nor forget time gone, bread eaten, and those passed, I feel like I can find my place in the capsule of your breath and no longer tear at the seam where I’ve attached myself on your sleeve. You will be the best part of me; when you break off, you’ll come back renewed,

Winter Simmons: Heart of the Bean

The saddest thing about betrayal

It doesn’t come from an enemy

The ones who hurt me most were my own blood-

Kin to me

I just couldn’t understand what I did

To deserve such hate and spite

Had me angry and depressed

Crying on my pillow at night

It’s been said real situations expose fake people

And that’s so true

During your darkest moments in life

God will shine his light on the actions of the people around you

Even though I didn’t want to see it

There was purpose in that lesson, Everyone around wasn’t meant to go with me

To the next levels of life I’ve been manifesting. What they thought would destroy me, made me stronger

And I’m grateful for that

I’m in the process of becoming the best version of myself

And that’s nothing but facts

The trees sway in the wind

Flowers break and bend

The sun shines so bright

I have no fright

The wind surrounds me

I am free, I am free, I am free

Grant Alcon

Photography has always been a part of Grant Alcon’s life, and birds have been an influence in his photography because his career goal is to become an airline pilot. He has lived in multiple countries and states, and has experienced many different cultures.

Rhonda Bates

Rhonda Bates has a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art. She graduated in 1981 and maintained a studio in downtown Washington DC for two years. She decided she needed to be closer to nature so she moved to the countryside near Ocean City Maryland. She continued to paint landscapes for 10 years and in the meantime learned how to make pottery. She moved to the OuterBanks and started her business Red Drum Pottery on Ocracoke. After a couple of bad hurricanes she moved to Hatteras Island where she and her husband own and operate Red Drum Pottery together. Red Drum has been in business for 29 years. She decided to take a jewelry course at COA and is now completing her fourth semester. She continues to make pottery and paint paintings and is now adding jewelry making to her creative interests.

Danielle Beaty

Danielle Beaty is the owner of TurtleBay Jewelry and a recent winner for the Made in NC Awards presented by OurStatemagazine. With a focus on sustainability and environmental awareness, her collections touch on various coastal regions throughout the globe, incorporating the cultural influences of those areas.

Jessica Canning

Jessica Canning is currently a Sophomore at College of The Albemarle. She has always loved art and being creative. Art is more of a release for her than a task. Art helps her express her true self.

Kitty Dough

Kitty Dough graduated from the Art Institute of Atlanta, earned a certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration from the North Carolina Botanical Gardens and is a student in the Professional Jewelry Crafts Program, College of The Albemarle. She is a member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators and the Colored Pencil Society of America.

Andrea (Andie) Finn

Andie Finn is based in South Mills, NC, where she specializes in painting, drawing and digital art. She is a dedicated learner and aspires to become an illustrator. Raised by storytellers, Andie is inspired by folklore and urban legends - always looking to add an element of whimsy darkness to her work.

Julia Gabitova

Julia Gabitova is a Russian student. From the age of seven to seventeen, she attended Art and Design School and aspired to be a designer. Julia took advantage of the opportunity to study Visual Arts at COA.

Elizabeth Kays

Having obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting and Printmaking from VCU, Elizabeth Kays pursued work in architectural renderings, and later, painted finishes and murals. On the Outer Banks, she is known for watercolor paintings and has pursued other creative expressions in metal at COA.

Francesca Beatrice Marie

Francesca Beatrice Marie is a photographer and filmmaker. She graduated from COA in 2018. She continued her education at Mount Holyoke College, where she graduated in 2022 with a degree in Film, Media, Theater. She is currently working as a freelance photographer, videographer and video editor on the Outer Banks.

Darla Masiello

Darla Masiello is a dual-enrolled student in COA’s Visual Arts Program. She is a visual artist that enjoys mark-making in its many forms, such as graphite, colored pencils, gouache, oil pastels, and acrylic. She plans to continue to create and expand her artistic abilities.

Sharon McKennon

Sharon McKennon is a dual enrolled student at the College of The Albemarle. She is working to obtain her Associates in Fine Arts in Visual Art.

Carolyn Mize

Carolyn Mize is a student in the Professional Jewelry program. After a long career in the corporate world, Carolyn is pursuing a second career in the creative world. Her creativity has always been an asset in finding solutions to complex business problems. Now, she hopes to utilize that talent to create beautiful wearables. She has a particular interest in creating shawl pins to compliment lovely knitted garments and using sea glass in its natural form.

Susan Molloy

Susan Molloy is taking classes in the Professional Crafts Jewelry program at the College of The Albemarle. A long time resident of Virginia, Susan and her husband moved to Kill Devil Hills in 2019. Always interested in design and jewelry, she started taking classes in 2021.

Brianna Orosco

Brianna Orosco is from Moyock, North Carolina and has been a student at COA since 2021. She has been drawing since childhood and hasn’t stopped ever since she drew her first character. She seeks to invoke conversation and emotion with her art and to someday work as a character concept artist.

Winter Simmons

Winter Simmons is a dual enrolled student pursuing an Associates degree in Fine Arts in the Visual Arts.

Hannah Simpson

Hannah Simpson is an English major with an interest in art and Creative Fiction. She is a writer, artist, hobbyist, and theme park enthusiast. She is the eldest of four children and works part-time as a ride operator.

Micah Stewart

Micah Stewart is a student at College of The Albemarle working towards his Associates degree. He enjoys painting as well as many other mediums.

Abigail Turner

Abigail Turner is a self-taught artist from Chesapeake, Virginia. She attends J. P. Knapp Early College High School and is taking courses at the College of The Albemarle in Currituck, North Carolina. She will graduate in 2024 with her high school diploma and an Associate’s Degree in Fine Arts.

Dawn Van Ness

Dawn Van Ness, a self taught artist, resides on Roanoke Island. She grew up in her mom’s suburban house on a marshy waterway and camping on her father’s country homestead. She feels most at home along the coastal waterways, believes nature is restorative and nurturing, and that developmental pollution is adversarial.

Gretchen Wooten

Gretchen Wooten is a dual enrolled senior in COA’s Visual Arts program. She has enjoyed her time spent testing the waters in various mediums, and hopes to continue doing so throughout her life.

Ellen Wells

Ellen Wells is a 2021 graduate of the Professional Arts Program at the College of The Albemarle. She has been serving as the Lab Assistant for the 2022-2023 curriculum and continuing education classes under instructor Danielle Beatty. Ellen enjoys all aspects of metalwork and is especially fond of enameling and forming.

Mason Alcon

A 19 year old world traveler, Mason Alcon lived in Europe for seven years and has experienced life on both US coasts. He is a voracious reader and gamer, and in his spare time will write additions for Dungeons & Dragons.

Samantha Bailey

Samantha Bailey is a dual credit student at Camden County Early College and is working on her Associates degree at COA.

Aaron Bass

Aaron Bass is the coordinator for COA’s Writing Center. He enjoys video games, writing, and music in his spare time –when not working his way through graduate school classes.

Rachel E. Belue

Rachel E. Belue is a dual-enrolled student at COA and a senior at JP Knapp High School. She has found solace in writing throughout her life. When she writes poetry she writes with her emotions in the moment as the Romantic poets did.

Daven Reese Brabble

Daven Reese Brabble is a first year student at the College of The Albemarle, and is a junior at Perquimans County High School. She plans to graduate in June of 2024 and attend UNCW majoring in chemistry to become a part of the medical field.

Jerron Feaster

Jerron Feaster has resided on the Outer Banks of North Carolina for five years now. He discovered a love for poetry in the 9th grade when asked to write a poem based on an image. He’s taken multiple workshops and found his voice along the way. Jerron likes to think his poetry explores the ordinary, or what may have been ordinary to him, finding the beauty and strange within.

Kaylee Frizzell

Kaylee Frizzell is an aspiring writer. She lives in Gates, North Carolina and graduated from COA in the Fall of 2022.

R. Wayne Gray

Poetry was a lifelong love of Outer Banks native R. Wayne Gray. He honed his writing skills while majoring in English at North Carolina State University, and was greatly encouraged when his works were published in his college literary magazine. Mr. Gray worked as a commercial fisherman, a high school English teacher, an elementary school assistant principal, and as a chef at his own restaurant, Queen Anne’s Revenge. Even with demanding jobs, he made time to write poetry all through the years. He wrote and self-published thirteen books of free verse poetry. His poetry often reflected the hardscrabble life of people living within the natural beauty of the Outer Banks. Mr. Gray was honored to carry the title of Poet Laureate of the Outer Banks for decades. In later years, he expanded his writing to short stories and local history. After a miraculous transplant operation and a second chance in life, he taught English at College of The Albemarle Dare County Campus from 2007 to 2017. He had a passion for helping students by inspiring them to dream big. He persuaded many students to go on to a four-year university after graduation from COA. Today, in fact, a scholarship in his name exists for this group of students. Prior to his death in August 2020, poetry again consumed his thoughts. Like a man on fire, he produced 45 poems in a two-month period. His wife Nancy Gray shared some of that collection.

Tara Hall

Tara Hall is a NC high school student.

Jackson Heath

Jackson Heath is a senior at John A. Holmes High School and a dual credit student at COA.

Vivien Lane

Vivien Lane is a Junior at Perquimans County High School. This is her first year taking COA classes. She plans to go to ECU and major in early education.

Bristyl T. Riddick

Bristyl T. Riddick is a junior at Perquimans County High School. She is a dual credit student at COA.

Holly Riddick

Holly Riddick is a junior at Perquimans County High School and a dual credit student at COA.

Mary Ellen (M.E.) Riddle

Mary Ellen Riddle has worked as a radio newscaster, newspaper reporter, art columnist, author and educator. She has published nonfiction, creative nonfiction, and fiction. She is currently working on a novel.

Ashleigh Blair Russell

Ashleigh Blair Russell is a first year student at the College of The Albemarle as well as a junior at Perquimans County High School. Russell is currently working on her Associate of Arts degree from COA expected in May of 2024.

Breanne Shepherd

Breanne Shepherd is a junior at Perquimans County High School. She is a dual credit student at COA.

Hannah Simpson

Hannah Simpson is an English major with an interest in Art and Creative Fiction. She is a writer, artist, hobbyist, and theme park enthusiast. She is the eldest of four children and works part-time as a ride operator.

James (Jay) Tynch

Jay Tynch has worked as an archaeologist, chemical operator, nanny, and laser etching designer. But his lifelong dream is to become a writer. A graduate of East Carolina, Jay is pursuing an MFA Creative Writing degree from SNHU.

Ashlynn E. Ward

Ashlynn E. Ward is a dual enrolled student. She attends Perquimans County High School as a Junior and takes online COA courses as a first year student. Ashlynn plans on receiving her Associates in Art degree at the same time she graduates high school.

Vianca Williams

Vianca Williams is a returning graduate of COA - Elizabeth City. Her first major was Cosmetology and now she is pursuing a degree in Medical Office Administration. She has always had a passion for poetry since she was very young and enjoys writing as a hobby.

Gretchen Wooten

Gretchen Wooten is a dual enrolled senior at Northeast Academy for Aerospace Advanced Technology and in COA’s Visual Arts program. She enjoys testing the waters in various mediums, and hopes to continue doing so throughout her life.

Michele Young-Stone

Michele Young-Stone is the author of three novels: Lostinthe Beehive , an OMagazineBook Club Pick, AboveUsOnlySky , a freshman common-read at Virginia Weselyan University, and The HandbookforLightningStrikeSurvivors. She is currently writing a new novel and teaching fiction writing for the Muse Writers Center in Norfolk, Virginia. Young-Stone was an English instructor on the COA - Dare Campus.