To review the contributions for ENG 125 - Fall 2021 semester, please use the section below to find the student works. Each sub-page is organized alphabetically by the students' last name and includes the text and images for each submission.
Black Men
There he was standing tall, feeling proud,
He spoke loud and clear, reassuring of his knowledge,
He drifted away in memory of what it was like to be black,
He spoke about the great ones, the world changing men and women whose hard work is paying off.
I felt so wise, listening, and admiring this handsome black man,
It reminded me of the many times, my brown people have had to stand up,
Seeing him in that poll, tall, black, and proud, reminded everyone that the dreams we dream off have no expiration time.
The people surrounding him, old and wrinkled, the pain reflects on their faces,
It has been a long road, but they finally made it,
They can all look up proud knowing they are accepted and respected now,
The flag in the back, reminding us of all what freedom is, what it means to be American,
We should all continue to be free, to feel free, to roam this world we our many dreams,
To remember what is like to be alive, and to live in a country where we all can and will achieved and fulfill our dreams,
Oh, thank God, what a time to be alive!
We will continue to rise, we will continue to overcome every obstacle,
We will one day talk about this day again, how in black history month and black men is making history again.
Flags wave in unison
The bearers undivided
A cause brings them together, many become one
Ideals fade into a dying flame
The passions bleed into a generations turmoil
To them it was but a political game
Lives in the hands of flags
A Promise of unity, a lie met with uprising
The people looking up now packing their bags
The rights would be free to all
The country founded on inequality
I should have known we’d be the first to fall
Flags wave in unison
Your bearers divide my people
But your mocking smile tells me you won
The Walk of Shame
Walking up these deep stairs hoping not to fall
Armpits are sweaty
I’m so nervous it feels like bees have swarmed by armpits with stings
Or maybe I’m just nervous
I know they had to see me, but what do they see when they see me?
Did they notice the stain on my shirt?
Did they notice my dad bod stomach poking out?
My back is now turned, but the anxiety has not subsided
It feels like the concrete is rising about my feet
The rails are making the pathway tight and slender
I feel like a dog far away from home
And my home is where I would rather be
Where my anxiety doesn’t haunt me
Or where the voices of others don’t seem so loud
Hands do a lot of things
They’ve created art and made music
Crafted tables and made engines.
Our hands…
Have cramped writing essays
Handshake instead of high fived
Texted best friends
Called family
Touched oceans and swam in lakes.
Our hands have felt
The warmth of a touch
The heat of a burn
The pain of a jam and scuff of a knuckle
They’ve been pricked, prodded, and
poked.
Our hands…
Some are rough
Some are smooth
But,
Each have their own scars
Each have their own story
So I wonder…
What story do yours tell?
Circular
Photograph
Congratulates,
Challenges
From humble start to
Honored state
Standing tall
Suits, stripes and slacks
Bright smiles shining
Summer sun
Mr. White, photographer,
collector of life’s light
A storyteller too
Camera in hand as if to say
“My next story could be you.”
The hero of ‘82
Flashes a smile
“Let’s see what you can do!”
Prize-winner
Passing through the aperture of life’s
Darkness and constriction
To be preserved, that we may be
Illuminated with conviction
Technology is the Future by which our culture will grow
It holds much more than what at first glance looks like a bunch of screens that glow
It is something that we must all come to know
An extensive wealth of knowledge technology shall bestow
We now have opportunities that were unavailable to our ancestors long ago
We can upload share and present knowledge in new ways
Technology has allowed us to find a new path through the maze
And with this newfound knowledge the bar begins to raise
A more refined work is what must be done to receive praise
At the screens humanity’s eyes will now begin to gaze
For not all is good there is danger in this knowledge
We must be careful and acknowledge
That if we fly too close to the sun
Our legacy as humanity may become undone
While technology gives us strength it may also be our end
That is why as humans it is important, we comprehend
That hard work dedication and love will always be our friends
Live Your Dreams
There once lived a little girl named Ella, who always wanted to play basketball. She would sit and watch all the other kids play while she waited on the side lines longingly. Ella was great at many other things, such as painting and drawing, but was never able to play basketball. The reason that Ella was never able to play sports, was not because she was not athletic, she had another thing standing in her way. Ella was born paralyzed from the waist down.
As Ella grew up, she still longed to be a on basketball team. Her younger brother Oliver had made the basketball team at the local high school, and Ella would go and watch him play every week. When Ella would watch the games, she began to study the players more and more, she focus on the way that they moved and the way that they passed the ball to one another with such ease. Then one day as Ella was at one of her friend’s basketball games, she looked over at the coaches on the side lines. The more Ella looked at the coaches the more she wondered if she could coach a team, after all she had watched hundreds of basketball games by now. So that very same day after the game was finished, Ella went over to the coach to ask for a job.
She said, “Sir I have been watching you coach this entire game and I think that I would like to be a coach too. Can I be your assistant coach?”
The coach began to laugh at her and then rudely replied, “I can not have you down here getting in my way with that big wheelchair of yours! Absolutely not!”
Ella turned away as tears began to well up in her eyes. When Ella returned home, she went to her room just sat alone in the dark wondering what her purpose was, and where she belonged. Eventually she laid in bed and cried herself to sleep feeling as though she had lost all purpose in life. When morning came Ella was feeling a bit better, so she got up and began getting ready for the day. Just as Ella was almost finished getting ready there was a knock on the door. Oliver poked his head in here room smiling.
“Hey sis! I am going to basketball tryouts today for my college team. Do you want to come and watch?” He asked.
Ella thought for a minute and then grudgingly agreed to go; she wanted to cheer on her little brother and be supportive even if she was upset. When the two of them arrived at tryouts, Ella watched as her brother ran back and forth on the court and make basket after basket. He will make the team for sure, She thought to herself. At the end of the tryouts the coach called out the names of the players who had made the team. Ella leaned forward ready to clap for her brother, but when the coach got to the end of the list, the man had not called her bother to be on the team. Ella watched her brother go from smiling to fighting back tears of sadness as he turned to leave the court the same way she had the day before.
Then Ella suddenly had an idea, she could form her own team with all of the players the coach had just rejected from his team. The next day Ella told her brother about her idea and he agreed to help, so they assembled their team. The new team was named the Underdogs and they quickly rose to the top of the charts. The Underdogs won game after game, and they were on track to win the tournament. Then one afternoon as Ella was coaching a game, a man approached her in a wheel chair and invited her to join the basketball team that he coached.
Ella was a little confused and replied, “Sir I appreciate the offer but, I can’t play. I can’t run and never will.”
The man then went on to explain that he coached a wheelchair basketball team and that he would love to have her join. Ella was so overjoyed she didn’t know what to say, he dreams of playing basket ball were about to come true.
“I would love to join your team!” Ella exclaimed.
Ella was a natural at basketball and quickly led her team to victory, until one day they made it to the national finals. The score was tied with one minute on the clock, Ella got the ball, took it down the court, and scored, winning for her team and making them the number one wheelchair team in the world! When Ella returned home from the game all her friends and family cheered, they had thrown her a huge party. They also made a poster that read “Welcome Back Champ!” and took a picture of her next to it. The next morning, the picture of Ella made the front page of the newspaper, Ella had final lived her dream.
“Elizabeth Avenue”
Black and White
These moments in time are captured in black and white
Black words on white signs that we hold
Black and white skin that we are born into
Skin that divides
A cause that unites
At night hands will fold
Mouths will mutter out a prayer
That prayer will hold the words that spark fire
In the hearts and souls of all of us
No matter black or white
“Stop the killing”
Forever our footsteps will echo
Down the street of Elizabeth Avenue
Black and white shoes on black and white feet
Preserved in black and white photos
We will come and go
A message cannot die
The librarian was a kind older lady with a heart of gold,
She cared for her students and it truly showed.
I studied endlessly, nearly all day,
And she didn’t seem to mind my supplies in the way.
The table was covered in books, papers, and pens,
It almost looked as if this project had no end.
She hung over my shoulder in a helpful manner,
I felt more at peace, being with her.
My anxious thoughts were falling behind,
She gave me a smile; it was warm and kind.
It was almost saying how proud she was of me,
That my effort and hard work was not unseen.
I finished my study, it was finally done,
I appreciated her, and the help she had given.
Her kindness had shown, as I sat and studied,
She was a sweet woman, quiet and lovely.
Golf and Life
Green grass underneath.
With white clouds hanging overhead.
It is a good day for golf.
There are many different clubs.
Wonder which one will be chosen?
A choice that can alter the course of a game.
There must be strength in the arms.
Plant your feet and set your back.
Finally, focus on your goal.
Consider the wind.
Factor it into your swing, then adjust properly.
Outsmart the hazards of nature.
A silence shoots through surrounding peers.
They offer rare respect.
It is now time to begin.
Take a deep breath,
Close your eyes and count to five,
Then take your one shot.
The ball is in the air.
An ever-changing destination being drawn in the sky.
Who knows where it will land?
Maybe it will stay in the air forever?
Or it might touch down in the green, or in the sand, or in the water.
But no matter where it lands, it is only one ball.
And every swing brings you closer to the goal.
Lunar New Year
Drums beat, boom, boom, boom
As I smile and cling to my sister
Fireworks explode, bang, bang, bang
As the air fills with laughter
The dragon dances, it weaves
In and out through the crowd
Dazzling lights, shine and flicker
Capturing the gaze of all
The smell of food, both fresh and fried
Makes our mouths water
My friends, joy in their hearts
Celebrate a new year
Stripped of the worries, of years past
Only looking forward
“Remembering AIDs Victims”
In Memoriam in 1996,
Of all those who lost their lives to AIDS
On the Central Campus lawn of grass and sticks
There was a memoriam crosses to remember them everyday
AIDS effects people every day,
Back in the 90’s was a pretty bad survival rate
Not many people would survive the sickness along the way
They were trying different medications and to try and delay
In the 90’s the survival rate was 39 years
Thank goodness but the expectancy has gone up with research
In 2020 it’s now up to 70, which helps with a lot of people’s fears
Now people can live their lives not in fear and re-emerge
Science is reinventing the way for AID’s every single day
Even in 2021 they’re trying to get vaccines passed by the FDA
“Peace-Out Johnnie”, by Nadine Russell
Imagine yourself as a 5 year-old kindergartener who is energetic, unafraid, loud, happy and unfiltered. That young boy grew up to be the Johnnie Roach that we came to know and love. While he aged physically, he remained as hilarious and authentic as the “Little Johnnie” from elementary school.
Johnnie worked in the Student Life Office at Central Piedmont for over thirty years, during which time he saw the hiring of three different presidents, the expansion to six different campuses, hundreds of initiatives, and thousands of students. Most people could hear Johnnie coming before they ever saw him because of his loud, frequent, laughter.
The bright clothing, the matching hat, the infectious smile, and the peace-sign, demonstrated in this photo represent the man who had a “fly on the wall” view, and an uncommon access to everyone at Central Piedmont. Johnny was equally well-known by students, groundskeepers, faculty, and the College presidents. Regardless of the age, gender, title, or ethnicity of the person asked, the feedback was consistent in the words used to describe Johnnie Roach:
Wise
Compassionate
Hilarious
Loyal
Authentic
Johnnie often spoke in quotes and parables that were loaded with meaning. “It Looks Good On Paper” was his way to express healthy skepticism for the abundance of “new” initiatives brought forward by the College over the span of 30 years. In a distinctive voice that could be heard across the campus, he was unafraid to question the theory behind any plan and he approached every issue with a calm sense of practicality. Whether or not he agreed with a plan was irrelevant because Johnnie would be one-step ahead of everyone to make sure it worked for the benefit of students.
Growing up in Maryland during the civil rights era taught Johnnie many life-lessons that he shared selflessly with others. Co-workers quickly learned that if you asked a question, you would receive a wise, unfiltered, and honest response. Just because he liked a lot of people, however did not necessarily mean that he trusted a lot of people. “Don’t talk about it, be about it”, was his way to challenge others who he found to be unreliable or pretentious.
Whether he was talking with a troubled student, giving advice to co-workers, frying turkeys for neighbors, or spending time with his family, Johnnie took pride in finding ways to care for people. He was described as both “the friend you’d want to have with you in the dark alley” and, “the person who was able to care for the plants and the people that needed a delicate touch”.
In the end, Johnnie left the College, his friends, and family in the same manner in which he lived his life, on his own terms. During the months after his retirement from Central Piedmont, Johnnie received constant requests for get-togethers from his Central Piedmont family. He knew that he was ill, yet chose to keep that information away from those who he knew would fuss and worry about him.
Text message sent to Johnnie: “JR, I miss you. Are you in town and interested in having lunch one day coming up?”
Text message response from Johnnie: “Thanks! I miss y’all too, but I’m under the weather. I’ll have to take a raincheck. Peace!”
The wise, compassionate, hilarious, loyal, authentic, Johnnie Roach died two weeks later. No one knew he was gone, until he was gone.
Peace-Out Johnnie!
The Stare
As she walks on stage
She sees the people
Gazing at her in awe
As she walks on stage
In the garments worn by ancestors many years ago
She presents the beauty of her culture
On stage for everyone to see
She proudly stares into the camera
She presents the beauty of her culture
Set in beads and feathers
She proudly stares into the camera
The history of a people
Set in beads and feathers
On stage for everyone to see
The history of a people
In the garments worn by ancestors many years ago
Life in a Game of Calm Violence
Eight of us in a room.
A camera flashes, the only archive of our small camaraderie.
To an outsider the room may seem calm, steady.
For us it is filled with a friendly kind of tension,
The world narrows down to our opponents, our options,
Our control.
Your hand goes to your head,
A nervous tick we’ve all seen before.
You’re the newest member,
A great player, but still learning each of our styles.
He watches your board more than ours,
A mentor to all of us, a teacher in every sense.
He takes you under his wing as he has taken each of us, he watches
Your mind spin as all of ours do,
Calculating every move,
Searching
For a way to defend, and attack
All at once.
To anyone else it would seem calm.
But to anyone who knows us,
Thinks like us,
Plays like us,
They can see the options to, see the traps and the victories,
The checkmates.
They live like us.