Hallmarks 1998 F

24 Pages·1998·23.9 MB·English

by  Harpeth Hall School (1951-)

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24cm PRAle.y
Hallmarks
Business Editor: Lauren Gaffney
Layout Editor: Maria Gumina
Assistant Layout Editor: Rachel Worrell \
Staff:
Sara Beesly
Margo Martin
Andrea Mazer
Martha Grace Orman
Caroline Richardson
AlyssaAbkowitz
SarahAllen
Kate Berry
Megan Casey
Molly Kaplan
Anna Lappalainen
Katie McKinley
Elizabeth Mills
Melissa Mosley
Alice Orman
Mary Cres Szarwark
Special Thanks To:
Katie Hill
Rachel Bressman
Steve Chapman
Sponsor:
Anne Dolittle
CoverArt by Susan Harris (12)
Table of Contents
“Starting Overs - Catherine Carroll i... 0 ie. oh ae,1
et - Rate Jw: he nh a1
“Country Sunsets” - Kathleen Serck . v0 devia,2
Addict” - Tricia MeWilllams ©. 0. oon vr hs veins satis3
Boye= Maria GUIANA: x. oi she ri isin 5 ii Soret er ois4
“Pyramus and Thisbe” - AlyssaAbkowitz .....................6
“Room 419” - Maria Guming 6. es ins she in6
“Mother Winter” - Lindsay Scruggs... . ho omnes ss7
Nagi- Catherine Carroll ©... ou ci ai a tie br a din8
aces Sara AOI i nh ee Sere hd RR a9
“Independence Day” - AlyssaAbkowitz ......................11
- Cagoy “i. uteri a ine aiid shin 414]
“Fade” - Martha Grace Orman... oo tre vs ann nis12
“For Lee” Jessica Crowell oo. oi... vinnie vd doit Sines13
“So Where's the Frigate?” - Caroline Richardson ...............14

“MyAlways Brilliant Brother” - Molly Kaplan . . ...............15
Pink Meean Casey i oa. on LE Re i ee dela ds16
“StealingWishes” - Rachel Worrell... ... . 2... .. 0. 0...17
“Armg ofMidnight” - Maria Gumina 2... oc cic onl visto lit wie17
wo = ANCE Orman. sie a us ae18
“Rearview Mirror” «Rate Berry. oi. Gi vu. oa ooh idan wi An hd,20
Art by:
Maria Gumina
Susan Harris
Jessica Lunden
Margo Martin
Laurel Staples
Rachel Worrell
starting over
i cherish the pureness in newbeginnings;
an untouched canvas
notyet marredby inevitable mistakes.
still, it's impossible to start over on days like these;
some faint outlines seem to linger
with the hope ofindecision.
i can feel the warm air
coatingmy skin like thickpaint,
wrappingaround me and slowly spreading
until it reminds me ofyour presence.
blue skies, likeyour eyes,
they followme in dreams.
their color is reflected in the raindrops
falling,
fallingquietly.
i'm forcedto re-live atime
when hearingyour voice was almost as good
as the comfort ofyour embrace.
i still hold on to the feelingofyour fingertips,
and the way our lips once touched.
yet in mymemories,
we keep movingcloser,
dwellingin the moment.
today,
you can find arainbow in the sky;
amyriad ofcolors
that embody my every emotion
and paint apicture
ofour most perfect kiss.
Catherine Carroll (10)
Duet
In the evenings
I can hear my mother
Strumming
her guitar
But not alone
It is a duet
Her voice wavers up
To where I slouch
It is crystal, clinking
Bottles ofjoy
And old Beatles music
Fill the nightly silence.
Kate Gregory (6)
RachelWorrell (12)
CountrySunsets
I was thirteenthen. We had eaten an early supper, and I went out-
side forthe country sunset. Hoppingthe rusted fence, runningbearfooted --
mytoes graspingat the loose dirtbelow me as ifI were five again grabbing
blackberries to bringhome to mamafor her state fairwinningblackberrypie.
Myhands not stainedblack, but a deep purple like the color ofthe sky at
dusk. The horses I had once fedwithpieces ofcarrot out ofmytiny hand
were grazingfrom the earth. How small myhandhadbeen. How large the
horse. How gentle the nibble. The trees reminded me ofhow I would go
exploringthrough thewoods for the waters ofthe secret stream. IfI were
quiet, I couldwatchJesus walkers skim across the ripplingwaves and deer
sip the clean, crisp water. I thinkofthe fawn who hadjumped abarringbarb
wire fence. She hadtrust for her motherjust as I do for this familiar scene.
As I sat there on ahaystackinmy cut-offoveralls, worn-out sandals, and
wispyblondhair, I listened. The hay crinkledbeneath me, thebirds sang,
andthe cows mooed, but itwasn't harmony. I listened harder. I could hear
the hand carved rockingchair squeakingwhile I wiggled in mama's lap. I
could hearthe porch creek as my grandmother paced to the familiar tune, as
ifcarriedbyits every note. My grandfather's lips pressed to the harmonica as
hebelted out, "Rocky Top." Thewrinkles in his face movedwith everybeat.
Hisbreath purgedthe sins ofthe day. His pale lips seemedto take in every-
thingthe red harmonicahad to say. It could tell stories ofearly animal feed-
ings and grandma's hot offthe grillbreakfasts: cheese grits, "pigs in ablan-
ket," and her hotcakes stacked amile high. I can hear these stories now as I
reach into my front overall pocket and pull out the wagon-coloredharmonica.
I raise the worn instrument to mylips, savoringthe taste ofgrandpa's teach-
ings. I lookup atthe country sunset andbeginto play a duet.
Kathleen Serck (10)
Addict
I’m an addict,
And he is my drug.
See, whenyou start, you never think it could happen toyou-
Thatyou'll be one ofthose people you hear about in the lunchroom
who got
Screwed overbecause they couldn't quit.
You thinkyou're stronger than that-how couldyou ever be so out of
control?
But it's so subtle-so hard to detect. :
And everytimeyou were feelingempty, it only took that one word, that one
sweet
Gesture to makeyou high-to make the hurt go away, iffor
only a little
While,just his smile makesyou forgetyou were ever in
pain.
And after awhile, it madeyou numb.
You didn't care ifit hurt or ifyou were happy anymore becauseyou
couldn't do anythingto change it.
It's a never-endingcycle, an emotional roller coaster that leaves you
drained ofall feelingwhen it's over.
And that one momentyou decide it has to stop-that's the moment
you realize-
You're addicted.
The invisible bond to him that has been formingin side ofyou ever
since that first
"I loveyou," or that memory ofhim thathas embedded itselfin
your heart-
You never knew about it until now.
That either roadyou choose from here on will bringyou pain
becauseyou knowyou can't live with him andyou can't
live without him.
And it hurts like hell.
So you plunge the needle inyour vein one more time-try to fillyour
selfwith all
Those bittersweet memories-
Remembrances ofwhat it was like to feel high. ‘
High offhis love.
Andjustwhen it seems like everythingis closingin onyou-like
your heart has been wrenched so tight thatyou could stop
breathingat any given second
You have that moment.
The momentyou seeyourselfin the bottom ofthat black, hopeless
pit
Sinkingdeeper in the waters ofyour self-destruction,
Beggingdesperatelyforyour drug,
You realizejust whatyou have become because ofyour addiction-
Andyou setyourself
Free.

TriciaMcWilliams (11)
JcnLunden (11)
Boys
Boys imitate what they love:
hats like their father's,
breeches to make them thinkofgrandpa,
andhalfunfastened suspenders --
all their own.
Theytap their shiny shoes
and grin at one another out ofthe corners oftheir eyes
smirking
at their dirty-faced,
gigglingshadows that are attached to the soles oftheir cockyfeet.
Todaytheboys playgrown-ups,
but tomorrow
the shadowless menwill not remember the rhythm
in shiny shoes
andthe freedom
ofloose suspenders.
Maria Gumina (12)
(12)
Margo Mart1n
PYRAMUS AND THISBE
Night filled with angelic stars and dusty skies,
blockedby assumed suspicions.
My coldbreath frostedwindows,
yours a little late
scrapingstones withblistered hands.
Hearts, blood pounding
into snowyroots now stained
by one lick, one bite ofinnocence
curledup in caves ofshades.
You came in minutes, not seconds
fillingpresumptuous shreds, crimson.
Pained, chilled air ofashen novas shining
in midnight skylines
brought impulsive endeavors ofanguish.
You wither, plunged hatred into groins
I emerged from solitude,
intense ached stingwithyour dagger
blood-filled, love-filled, death-filled.
Una duos noxperdet amantes.
Now dyed scarletberries remain with us,
combined mixedblood andflesh
dyedby anxious liaisons
seeped into small treed mulberries.
AlyssaAbkowitz(11)
Room 419

Fay sat outside the bathroom door, dramatically twiddlingherpudgy
thumbs and sighingimpatiently.
She coughed loudly as a humid fogescaped from the bathroom and
Fay's blue eyed sister emerged from the mist. "Uhh! You've been in there for
hours," Fay exaggerated. She glared at theback ofher sister's head for a
moment and then stomped into thebathroom, yankingthe door closedbehind
her.
Determined, now, to take her time, she investigated the contents of
the unfamiliar room. She tore the wrapper offathin square ofblue soap and
held it to her nose. Mmmm. It smelled like Daddy. She wondered ifhis
aftershave was blue too.
There was nothingvery interestingunder the sink: toilet paper,
Kleenex, and more tiny wrapped squares ofblue soap. Next Fay stepped onto
the toilet seat and opened a double-doored cabinet. A smile flashed onto her
face as she ran her fingers over the bumps and lumps ofthe clean towels.
Theywere a deep shade ofpurple; deeperthan chocolate. Embroidered in the
terrycloth, white letters spelled out Marriot Hotel. Faywrapped the
towel majestically over her shoulders and metamorphazised into Queen
Marriot, ruler ofthe enchanted land ofFay City. She looked into the still
cloudymirror and, ignoringthebright green rubberbands and dull metal
wires ofher 8 month oldbraces, decidedthat she lookedvery much like the
ruler ofan enchanted city, although she had to admit she had neverreally
seen one.
"But even great Queens," she told herself, "must take theirbaths."
Maria Gumina (12)
6
Mother Winter
Slowly meltingicy,just like my mother
Fragile without areason
Freezingover my life,
Don't really mind the coldness
Sometimes
It feels warmer than I'm used to
Smilingeffervescent
On the outside
Tremblinginside
Crying.
Myvoice is growingnumb
The coffee potboiled over
Fingertips on fire
Dancing, fiery girl
Mother, you made me cry
Eyelids frozen open,
But nothingfalling.
Jack Frost has entered the world
He doesn't like myway
Myvoice has moved too quickly
I can't, I can't
Saywhat I mean
Mother.
Don’tbelieve aword,
Sorry when I hurtyou.
I thought, I thoughtyou hurt me
So I stayed ahead.
And nowyour face is cold
I want to warmyour nose now
The way I remember, mittens,
Warmedbythe snow.
Your voice has moved away,
You went and turned the light off
Just to,just to
Cover the darkness
I had, remember where it was
The car has stalled again,
Hervoice is growingnumb
Just in case, I can't, I can't
Saywhat I mean.
Lindsay Scruggs (12)