COVER ART CONCEPTS

socialize again be problem solvers again be kind again forgive others again be respectful again be attentive again find the good in others again invest in ourselves again control ourselves again learn from our mistakes again support our communities again take responsibility again be adults again please, can we

August 6, 1979

Anthony ILacqua

I climbed the fence the soles of my bare feet on chain link to get at the prickly pears

Even at my young age, this was a sensitive operation

The chain link, already burdened by the cactus was not anchored to much and neither my great grandmother nor her neighbor took kindly to me climbing it

I could hear the hiss of the BART several seconds before it came several seconds after it past above us carrying people through Oakland to San Francisco

Those passengers never cared about a kid or a fence or a cactus

In the basement platoons of plastic army men played out events of WWII mix of our imagination and papa’s stories events of WWII because Vietnam still secreted her stories in Johnny Walker and divorce

I knew she was in the basement among her washing and our plastic platoons Three chain link rungs and a stretch the reddest pear was mine It didn’t sound like the BART more like a train it felt like a big big train like when you stand next to one and it makes you dizzy when it passes but there was not a train and the sweetest, sweetest pear just in my reach

My fingers were almost on it she screamed my name fear gripped me, I was on the fence against the rules to get at the prickly pears

I jumped to the ground bare feet in the dust afraid I was found out I waited the worst as she met me in the garden

My adults were unpredictable loud, scornful, quick to violence but she pulled me to her fabric like roses and yeast dough she grabbed my face, turned it to hers zippering our eyes together Did you hear that? she said panic in her voice made me fearful It’s past now, she said the garden surrounded us she squeezed me too hard I hugged her because she needed it I looked atop the cactus the pear was still there

I heard the shouting in the streets

Chi Luu is a senior graphic design student at Front Range Community College. Although Chi goes to school in Boulder, Colorado, he is originally from Vietnam. He aspires to become a graphic designer as it’s his longtime dream to work in a creative field. He has experience in working with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Lightroom, and After Effects, and his strength lies within illustration and visual communication. Besides that, he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Metropolitan State University of Denver.