Welcome to Profound Lettuce.
These are the works of members of the Fall 2019 English 30AB Creative Writing Class, Sections 4170 and 4173, at Santa Monica College. These are the works of writers young and mature, experienced and novice. We invite you again into our garden of Profound Lettuce. May the selections feed your spirit.
Copyright is held by the authors and Santa Monica College.
“Ode to my Poetry Class”
Grace Hunter
Dear Poetry Class
I didn’t want to write rhymes and poems
I wanted to write fiction of every kind
I thought about dropping the class and going home
This was going to be a waste of time
Dear Poetry class
I decided to stay just for the grade
I hoped my eyes wouldn’t roll up into my head
I would keep my mouth shut and not throw shade
I hoped I wouldn’t snore like I was home in bed
Dear Poetry Class
I woke up out of my dreamy half life
My eyes opened to an ocean of cobwebs
Thick and gauzy, but there was no spider in sight
The spider was me
Dear poetry class
I started to swim upward
Ripping and tearing my way to what was real
Remnants clung and fell away as I made my ascent
Drawn to words that became a symphony
A musical, lyrical, and raw
A kaleidoscope of humanity
Rich in a rainbow of colors
Especially red
Red benches seated in passion and contemplation
Red doors swing open ripping away cobwebs
Entering the chambers of my heart yet to be explored
Dear poetry class
I heard an orchestra riding on the waves
Of every human emotion
I heard your songs of truth
Unfiltered, uncensored
Pushing through mild discomfort
And at times blinding, trembling fear
Armed only with unabashed courage
And the fortitude of poetic gladiators
Dear poetry class
I heard your songs of experience
Of broken hearts shattered
Of open wounds being licked raw
Of hearts mending with the strength of personal will
Of time colliding and collapsing in on itself
Past, present and future
Becomes a big bang of a moment
Of stiffened fingers from a winter’s frost
Of the soft moist innards of cacti representing the heart
And its outer thorns of protection
Of the softness of an infant’s skin
So many pictures painted with lyrical words
Challenging and pursuing my imagination without chase
Dear poetry class
I am fully awake and aware
My surfaces hold an invisible new depth
The thought pool of my mind has more chop
Dear poetry class
My years are becoming a bit more golden
Dear poetry class
Thank you
“Fractals” by Schuyler Myvette
From nothing to the unknown, form into something,
Two lovers fishes swam, to get her.
Till land rose, a fish gifted land to get her out of the ocean and into her own land.
To give her a world of her own, space of her own.
Bitterness of the salt from the one who she comes from.
The ocean waits on his love to come home
She builds him a palace of her own, ready a lone throne for them in the green in the trees
New life she’s made she sees her rays in waves from the palace she’s made,
For the life she’s made, she waits on for his entry, to see what she became.
From what was never estranged.
Her arm arcs above her head, fingertips
following the gentle curve of waning crescent
until the moon hangs from her little finger
on a chain of silver.
It whispers in her ear, soft and low,
voice like the drowsy hum of a dying lantern
or the meandering flutter of a mayfly’s wings
or the hush of wind through dry autumn grass
or light rain as twilight fades.
Her hand dips and the glow is blotted out
like spilled ink on yellow parchment,
flickering into the dull reflections
of candlelight on a half-dozen glass bottles
discarded in the dust,
fingers that held them plucking
the final melancholy bars of song on distant instruments
while the sigh of a lone flute fades away
into the dancing shadow.
Her hand falls and rests against her side;
crickets sing like midnight sailors,
and perhaps she’ll dream of ships
as the last guest falls silent –
a frigate carries her across the sea,
gray waters churned into foam by howling storms,
fingers of coral-bone scrawling messages
from drifting friends into the wooden hull –
tomorrow she’ll hold the moon again,
while whalesong echoes from the depths of strange, dark,
unknown waters
I feel myself falling into the dark abyss
You see me walking I feel myself drift
This void is familiar though it isn’t a place I missed
I loathe for the moment I can re-experience bliss
Feels sudden but I don’t know what triggered this shift
I feel myself falling into the dark abyss
Tell myself “You’re stuck” like I didn’t know how to change this
It can be difficult to move forward when your soul has a rift
This void is familiar though it isn’t a place I missed
I blame myself but why do I still feel pissed
Give me a nostalgic experience that will give my soul a lift
I feel myself falling into the dark abyss
These shackles I seem to carry are before my first kiss
Being able to still feel should feel like a gift
This void is familiar though it isn’t a place I missed
If the dude with the plan could see me he’d pummel me with his fists
These feelings will be my own tales from the crypt
I feel myself falling into the dark abyss
This void is familiar though it isn’t a place I missed.
The clock seemed to be ticking slower then usual. I had started my shift at four and wasn’t out until eleven. I watched as the clock stroke ten forty five. Almost there. It was my best friends birthday and he was having a huge get together at his apartment then we’re all going to our favorite bar downtown, Sharky’s. If you were wondering, my name is Marvin and I’m twenty-five years old. Let’s just say it’s taking a bit longer to get my degree than I had thought, I’m a History major who hopes to teach one day but for now I am checking out food items and stocking shelves at Safeway. It has been a gloomy week here in Washington and today is no exception, I can hear the rain as it splats every five seconds outside on the pavement. Today was just like any other, the rush of people came in around five to stock up for the weekend but I’m assuming everyone now is already out at their party or event. Ten more minutes to go, all I can think about is that ice cold beer waiting for me at Connor’s place. Usually there is another guy that closes up with me but he had to leave at ten to catch a flight, so tonight it is just me, how exciting. I sit and refresh Instagram on my phone, scrolling to pass the time.
I hear the familiar jingle of the front door opening, I look up and see two men. They both look around forty or fifty years old, dressed in all black, their dark long hair soaking from the rain. A shiver ran down my spine, something about them seemed off. “Hi! Just so you know we close up at eleven.” They both look at each other then quietly grunt as they walk past my register. I watch as they walk to the end of the other side of the store, walking into Aisle 3, I guess they’re just looking for some late night cereal? There’s only a few minutes to closing now so I start to put my jacket on and pack up my bag, until I hear a faint gasp coming from aisle 3. I freeze as I listen closely, it sounds like a muffled scream but definitely not from one of the men, it sounded like a woman’s voice. I’m becoming anxious and confused, did a woman slip in without me seeing? Maybe she has been lurking around the store this whole time. I listen again as it sounds like she’s whimpering and crying, it is all distant though so I am hoping my ears are just playing tricks on me. I then hear the intimidating voices of the men, their words are muffled but I could make out “Owe us” and “Not our problem.” This must have been some drug trade gone wrong or maybe she is an escort? Prostitute? All that I know is that this woman is in danger. I knew it was a bad idea to insert myself into this potentially dangerous situation so I slowly slipped my phone out of my pocket, the only thing I can do is call the police. I’m about to unlock my phone when I hear a loud “pop!” I am frozen in fear. I creep around the corner to see the lifeless body of a young blonde woman. Blood is pouring out of her head and all over Aisle 3. This can’t be happening, I’m just a regular grocery store clerk, I am not apart of any of this. This just can’t be real. The men begin to shout at each other, “Nice job asshole, what do we do with the body!” the other screams back, “You didn’t have to shoot her yet.” “She was getting on my nerves.”
As I let the men argue and yell, I run to the back entrance, leaving my jacket, bag, everything behind, I just had to get out. I’m still clutching my phone, about to call 911 as soon as I leave the building. My heart is about to burst out of my chest, I can feel this morning’s breakfast creeping up my throat, I reach for the door handle to exit when I hear in the distance, “He went that way!” Shit. My adrenaline at an all time high, I push
myself out the door and run. Running into the night, no clue where I am going. There is a small forest behind the store, I find myself hunched over behind a tree, sitting in the mud, hiding from whoever may come. I don’t hear anything but the tapping of raindrops on my boots, so I finally pick up my phone and call the police. I explain everything and tell them that they need to come as soon as possible, the dispatcher says she is sending officers and an ambulance over. I sit, shivering in the mud and dirt when I hear the familiar sounds of police sirens in the distance.
I run back to the store to see a body bag being lifted into the ambulance, but no men in sight. The officers ask me, “So you say there were two men responsible for this?” I nod yes and give the most detailed description I can. “Well when we arrived the cash registers were all broken open and the woman was lying there right in the middle of the aisle, it was quite horrific.” I told the officers that we had security cameras and that they should take all of footage. The ambulance drives off and crime scene photos are taken, I go back to my register to grab my bag and jacket only to realize, they are both gone. My heart sinks as I know I left my wallet in that bag, the wallet with my drivers license, credit cards and cash. I instantly call my bank and ask them to cancel every single one of my cards immediately. I didn’t even care about the cards but my license has my home address, phone number and name. This is a nightmare. The officers give me a ride home and tell me they will be close by if I need anything but not too worry about it, these guys are probably trying to leave the country right now.
Weeks went by and I didn’t hear anything from the police, good or bad. I carried this ball of anxiety with me everywhere I went, I would only feel at peace once I know these guys are locked up far away. Three weeks past since the incident and I was starting to feel a bit better, I just came home from playing basketball with the guys when I noticed a letter sitting on my doormat. The letter just says “Marvin,” that’s kind of strange, who sends letters anymore? I rip the envelope open, my heart drops as my eyes read the paper. Written in dark red blood, it reads, “You’re Next.”
The clang of sword and shield subside.
The last man on the field had died.
No sound but harsh invader’s cheer
did reach the ragged captain’s ear.
Four thousand men he bravely led
lay cold beside the riverbed.
The blue and white his men’d salute
now muddied under marching boot.
With tears for comrades in his eyes,
sought cover on the wooded rise.
Desperate to ‘scape the hangman’s noose
with heavy heart, fled Robert the Bruce
The dark’ning sky brought wind and hail,
and freezing rain did pelt his mail.
The bark of hounds carried on the breeze,
and torchlight danced between the trees.
He out of briar bramble crashed.
A row of caves in lightning flashed.
Against the crags of rock confined,
and Robert to his fate resigned.
His foe’d arrive by break of day.
One last night in a cave he’d stay.
Out from the rain and storming sky,
Robert the Bruce would wait to die
In dimness of the cave he peeped.
Across the wall a shadow creeped.
Venomous spider silent crept
above where Robert would have slept.
Dagger-drawn, primed to smash with hilt,
he stopped and watched the web be built.
He watched the spider slip and fall
and again to climb the wet stone wall.
So Robert sheathed his blade and said,
“By morning light I will be dead
by soldier sword or spider’s bite,
no need that two souls die this night.”
He smiled on his last evening’s truce.
Closed his eyes did Robert the Bruce.
The soldiers came with morning light,
hoping to catch and kill and smite.
They stalked the face of cliff severe
and searched each cave with torch and spear.
Robert’s shelter they’d soon detect,
but these hunters found their progress checked.
Across the mouth of cave they found
that silver strands of web were wound.
A vast entangle, silken veil
did Robert’s hiding spot conceal.
The men recoiled and backed away,
shunned the domain of spiders’ sway.
And soon among them was agreed
to search this cave there was no need.
Surely no man could breech this space
without the fragile web displaced.
Hidden, they left in mornings gloom,
Robert the Bruce in earthen womb.
Emerging into light of morn,
Robert the Bruce stood a king reborn.
He mustered men for one more fight
and raised the tattered blue and white.
They fought till the ranks of rivals thinned
and drove them back with a northern wind.
And to every man, when the fight got rough,
he told of the night of the spider’s bluff,
of a mercy returned from beast accursed,
and all knew the tale of Robert the First.
palm trees sway in the distance
soft chirping sounds fill the air
I feel the grass on my fingertips
the soil beneath me
the sky above me
day turns to night
trees no longer sway
birds no longer chirp
grass starts to wilt
the soil starts to part
my body sinks in
the soil engulfs me completely
what happened to the sun
the bright light that used to
shine on my tan skin
the darkness consumes me
it is all I can see- all I can feel
why did this happen
am I no longer innocent
that sweet young girl
what happened to her
to the light inside her
to her dreams
her aspirations
her goals
her life…
why did you take it from her
why did you take it from me
the earth calls me now
and with these roots
these branches
this new found life
I will consume what’s left of you
Time in a nutshell is a beautiful thing
It’s shows our character as human beings
When we first met I was young and goofy
I remember you fondly like my favorite plush snoopy.
Cherished, nurtured, distant, yet loved,
Our bond has grown like a mourning dove
Coming home to a foreign city
Familiar faces showed nothing but pity
Affiliations ends, Anxiety ascends
You were there when I needed a friend
After crashing hard on the toughest of times
You believed in my future even with a crushed spine
Insulated with no room to grow
Desecrated with nowhere to go
Time lost to the weight of my pain
Alone in darkness shrouded my shame
Abandoned by my day one’s, I guess that’s life
The pain of it all like the edge of a knife
Trapped in limbo, trials and tribulations
Your correspondence pulled me out of damnation
Paralyzed thinking what could have been
Contemplating my past’s potential
These thoughts were once deemed confidential
The unshakable notion this is punishment for a sin
You may not know but this you should
My mentality is free of these unhealthy obsessions
And from my battles with depression
I’ve fought my way back to manhood
This new reality was significantly rough,
Adjusting to my body was difficult as fuck
Replies to “how are you” we’re always a bluff
This great hurt, no substance was enough
Sentimentally explosive, sorting through debris
Your post-stroke letters challenged the inner me
Trapped in my mind I never would have foreseen
Paying it forward towards my degree
Emotionally exposed like an opened vault
I can feel it coming on, vulnerable by default
This sensation’s too strong, unable to halt
My eyes are the sea, full of water and salt
Invisible passion like tears in the rain
The affection you draw is special, not plain
Streaming down my cheeks, flowing affinity
The love from family is your til’ infinity
Time in a nutshell is a beautiful thing
Your soul blossoms like flowers in spring
Constructing this letter with tears in my eyes
Running from my eyes like I’m running from demise
Time is endless, an Infinite redux
As you Pin-pal, I vow, I shall never leave you
Flowing through your body every inch of pain
The strength you showed me will not go in vain
Choking back love is never easy
My only wish is for your eyes to see me
So picture me rollin’ with the power of the sun
The source of your vitality is where the battle was won
Find the courage to move your lips and and say hello
Embarrassment can be forgotten or laughed about
Regrets lead to a lifetime of misery and woe
Wipe the fear from your forehead and emerge from your shadow
Formulate words to woo but don’t whisper or shout
Find the courage to move your lips and say hello
Smile and breathe, be simple and don’t read a manifesto
Fears of insecurity or failure are not a reason to bail out
Regrets lead to a lifetime of misery and woe
Trust yourself and be honest; ignore the status quo
Perfection is an illusion not a reason to be devout
Find the courage to move your lips and say hello
Rejection can better than being always being solo
Failure can be learned from, inaction breeds doubt
Regrets lead to a lifetime of misery and woe
Be brave today and enjoy a different tomorrow
Risk normalcy for something unexpected
Find the courage to move your lips and say hello
Regrets lead to a lifetime of misery and woe
Profound Lettuce 