Lions-on-Line
Fall 2020 Issue
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Table of Contents Sea Life, Artwork by Trevor Theuerling……………………………Cover “i have always wanted to write like you.,” Poem by Ashley Bell………...4 Friends, Artwork by Carissa Palazzolo…………………………………...7 “Pink,” Poem by Ashley Bell……………………………………………...8 Me, Artwork by Alfonso Huckleberry…………………………………….9 “I Have Arrived At,” Poem by David Lewis…………………………….10 Commute, Photograph by Ariana Spencer……………………………….11 “A Villanelle,” Poem by Chloe-Rose Ramsey…………………………..12 “Laven-D-er,” Poem by Chloe-Rose Ramsey…………………………...13 “Enough is Enough,” Poem by Constance Anstaett……………………..14 Artwork by Alfonso Huckleberry………………………………………..17 “Trickle Down,” Poem by Ariana Spencer………………………………18
Submission Details………………………………………………………19
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i have always wanted to write like you. Poem by Ashley Bell oh, bukowski typical, classic, common known by all, loved by most but ever so significant to a young poet a young, sick kid with a head full of words and pain and love a large chair in a capitalistic chain store never seemed so welcoming after spotting that yellow cover that seemed to just cry to be read “you get so alone at times that it just makes sense� made so much sense it nearly made me sick and i felt my stomach flip as i made my fingers flip through the pages and i got lost inside of you, buk the world faded away as i read words screaming of pain and raw emotion and loss and i nearly forgot about the beautiful girl sharing the chair with me resting her head on my shoulder 4
reading reading reading but she didn’t know that i wasn’t just reading i was drowning swallowing every letter and i was burning you into my brain, buk because i didn’t have $17 for your book but i wanted to keep those words inside of me forever i’ve always written poetry but i never read it i never ached for it i never craved it but buk, you made me feel something i didn’t know i could feel and i’ve never stopped seeing the world through your words and your wisdom and i’ve never stopped proclaiming my love for the beautiful girl from the chair through tiring retellings of poems you’ve tirelessly written and i have never stopped trying to write like you, buk and although i love everything you’ve written i don’t think i ever learned how to love anything i’ve written 5
and i don’t think i will ever learn how to stop trying to write like buk and start learning to try to write like me
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Friends, Artwork by Carissa Palazzolo
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Pink Poem by Ashley Bell Pink champagne , pink lemonade Sweet to the touch but with a gentle burn of the throat at the end. She is stirring her pink lemonade-vodka With her finger and I watch as she Brings the remaining drip to her lips. Her pink lips taste like sweet, pink wine and That alone is enough to induce alcoholism on site. She smiles, notices me watching And her cheeks flush to the color of her drink; All of her is pink and it isn’t because of the vodka. She doesn’t like it that much but she wanted to try and She is glowing because she knows she is loved. Floating, she makes her way to me Across the kitchen, past pink bodies full of pink wine and beer, And she touches her pink champagne lips to the side of my cheek. Now I have flushed to the blush color of her blush cheeks And we are growing together in the middle Of a crowded kitchen at 11 pm on a Tuesday. We melt into each other like paint, Dripping down off of an artists’ brush and we Meld into one light, gentle, puddle of pink on the floor.
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Me, Artwork by Alfonso Huckleberry
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I Have Arrived Poem by David Lewis I have arrived at house shoes, at Windex and floor polisher I have arrived at the football field I have arrived at hydrogen, the oxygen I have arrived at Saturday afternoon games and tests due Sunday night from Professor Mason, to Father John, and Karl Powers. I have arrived at lectures and homeworks At these weird times we must stay safe and healthy I have arrived at Mount St Joseph University, pizza, noodles At the time the random guy at the gas station talked my head off for 15 minutes and the amount of time that was wasted, the amount of time I will never get back. I have arrived at my doorstep‌
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Commute, Photograph by Ariana Spencer
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A Villanelle Poem by Chloe-Rose Ramsey Necromancer Ariana, at entertainment’s heart in green forests Here are her children (Apprentices) of youthful rolling centuries. “In Ariana Isle we tend to stray, are swept a a wy Come! Come, Small Children! Join the whispering chorus! Fuel her power with your rollercoaster thrills, stories, memories Necromancer Ariana, at entertainment’s heart in green forests A pale still body drowned in sunlit greenAriana awoke. Hidden the girl’s face is never seen. And “In Ariana Isle we still tend to stray, are swept a a wy Necromancer Ariana rescued from anger wanderers in red. A creature of magic she created from the end. And the beginning. Necromancer Ariana, at entertainment’s heart in green forests Necromancer Ariana, at entertainment’s heart in green forests It echoes, vibrates beneath cobblestone, reflects in blue pools “In Ariana Isle we tend to stray, are swept a a wy It’s spoken beneath the reckless throng’s joyous mutterings It’s written in every strand of her daughter’s hair Necromancer Ariana, at entertainment’s heart in green forests In Ariana Isle we tend to stray, are swept a a wy
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Laven - D - er Poem by Chloe-Rose Ramsey Lavender, look out your window! See the moonlit winged figures in the red and blue primrose in the garden? Beckon to Fay, welcome Fay! “I wish I were like you ” Thrusting heads above the sill, shyly peering with rainbow eyes Sky colored, grass colored skin. Hair a glittering pink stream. Lavender, look out your window! See the moonlit winged figures! They love you. Their human friend Lavender. Come to fairyland! Come! Dance with us in sparkling cities of diamond! Beckon to Fay, welcome Fay! “I wish I were like you” Yes!! Be the purple you’ve been named! Have fantastic wings Take flight in this fairytale, Lavender. Ju-just look! Lavender, look out your window! See the moonlit winged figures! The transformation burns but think of your enormous lavender wings Left everything behind for pastel flowers and sugarcube feasts Beckon to Fay, welcome Fay! “I wish I were like you” Now you are, Lavender. Are you happy, Lavender? Yes, forever! Now you’re one of the dainty moonlit winged figures. Lavender, look out your window! See the moonlit winged figures Beckon to Fay, welcome Fay! “I wish I were like you”
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Enough is Enough Poem by Constance Anstaett I wish there was no pain, I wish it would go away, But pain is not just a theory, It’s a person, place or thing. I wish I could give people, The benefit of what I’ve learned, But the words I say seem to go unnoticed At each and every turn. I wish I could bestow upon them, The beautiful gift of foresight, And the knowledge to see, Not everything has to be a fight. You have to pick your battles, And accept the part you play, In getting you where you are, And who you are today. So much of life is wasted, In judgment, gossip and doubt, It’s very easy to point your finger, When you’re not the one it’s about.
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Everyone will pass on, And we really never know when, Ask yourself how you would feel, If tomorrow was the end? Did you leave anything unspoken? Any admission or sentiment of great love? Or will you now be faced clutching yourself and screaming in pain above? Any issue we have with one another, Really doesn’t matter at all, If you never have the humility, To reach out and make a call. I, myself, had to learn on my own, That sometimes it cannot be fixed, Sometimes you have to walk away, You’ll never find happiness where you lost it. This is not true of all things, And yes, this I know, It’s a journey of discovering, All the forks in the road. Respect, love and honesty, Anything less is non-negotiable, These things are very necessary, To live a life that’s truly full.
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Take a look around you, And try to step out of the pain, Your loved ones are there waiting, To pull you from the flames. So take it hour by hour, Minute by minute, if you must, Turn the pain into power Enough is enough.
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Artwork by Alfonso Huckleberry
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Trickle Down Poem by Ariana Spencer Thoughts and ideas flicker through my mind like sparklers in the night. Words trickle down from somewhere inside me, tumbling briskly out onto paper or a screen, demanding to be written before they’re forgotten. Letters fly from my fingertips, falling falling rapidly into sentences or maybe fragments, desperate to exist, to fall into place. Thoughts may be trapped in my mouth, but they find their way out through my hands at a frantic pace. Sometimes I swear I see the words burning themselves into paper, like a fiery haze of creativity. My mind works to keep up with my hands, while letters keep spilling out in waves. My brain is on fire with words both tough and beautiful. If the words get too real or scary, there may be tears staining the paper or keyboard, but beware, when the exhilarating words gain momentum, they race each other, trying to stay in a neat line. Ink soaks up my thoughts and emotions, turns them into something grand. Language is special, it’s a vehicle of expression, and I’m the driver, delivering words where they should go. Words embed themselves in my heart, and trickle down, all the way to my soul.
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Submission Details Initiated in January 2005, Lions-on-Line is a literally collection of works by the students and alumni of Mount St. Joseph University published online with the cooperation of the Liberal Arts Department. Lions-on-Line is published online twice yearly, during the fall and spring semesters. When our budget allows, Lions-on-Line goes “in print”. We take submissions during all twelve months of the year. If you are currently affiliated with Mount St. Joseph and you would like to see your work published, you may submit your work to LOL simply by emailing poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction or artwork to LOL@msj.edu. For full submission guidelines, consult our website. Lions-on-Line is always looking for new staff members. If you’re interested in joining LOL, please contact faculty advisor, Elizabeth Taryn Mason, Ph.D. at the following email address: elizabeth.mason@msj.edu.
Editors and Staff Editor-in-Chief:
Madison Axtell
Assistant Editors:
Ashley Bell Chloe-Rose Ramsey Ariana Spencer
Faculty Advisor:
Elizabeth Taryn Mason
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