Collin College: DigitalCommons@Collin

Catino, Kimberly A.

Forces 
Volume 2024 Article 39 
4-15-2024 
Lisa Jo 
Kimberly A. Catino 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.collin.edu/forces 
Recommended Citation 
Catino, Kimberly A. (2024) "Lisa Jo," Forces: Vol. 2024, Article 39. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.collin.edu/forces/vol2024/iss1/39 
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inclusion in Forces by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Collin. For more information, please contact 
mtomlin@collin.edu. 
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F O R C E S
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Lisa Jo
Kimberly A. Catino
Piggy Bank
Abby Roberts
If I had a nickel
for every time someone called me a robot,
I’d be one of those electronic piggy banks.
My sole purpose to account for your change;
Collect your petty cash and make cents of it all.
I’m tired of a copper-coated mouth,
and a silver tongue.
I can think of many things I’d rather do,
than consume one more thing out of pocket.
I would instead give you a piece of my mind.
I don’t need your two cents
when you tell me
my monotone voice
and careful phrasing
make me seem robotic.
You are free to assume what you like,
but I know my ledger better than you.
And despite your perception
I am wealthy with emotions
that are richly felt.


English

Lisa Jo

Fyfe, Lori Hawk

Forces 
Volume 2024 Article 41 
4-15-2024 
Lost in the Passion of Youth 
Lori Hawk Fyfe 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.collin.edu/forces 
Recommended Citation 
Fyfe, Lori Hawk (2024) "Lost in the Passion of Youth," Forces: Vol. 2024, Article 41. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.collin.edu/forces/vol2024/iss1/41 
This Poem is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Collin. It has been accepted for 
inclusion in Forces by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Collin. For more information, please contact 
mtomlin@collin.edu. 
3 6
Lost in the Passion of Youth
Lori Hawk Fyfe
Moonlight shining on an Indian Summer field.
Kids gathering around old time coolers
And popping illegal beer. Someone lit a joint.
Music blared from a boombox.
But it was the passion that filled the air
Like black velvet heavy but soft and touchable.
The passion of the emotions.
Laughter, tears, a copped buzz.
The passion of young wanton sex.
The belief you’d never feel that way again
And it was true. You never do feel that way again.
Life unravels and weaves.
College, careers, marriages, babies, and divorces.
Lost friendships and some that last.
But the passion of first love and love wrong
Never goes away.
The feeling of losing oneself in another’s eyes.
The longing to not only have sex but merge completely
Into another person and to become one under
A black sky full of stars.
No wonder none of it ever works out.
And yet we reach out again and find ourselves at middle age.
The passion is different. The sex is different. The partner is different.
But the hope and belief endures.
I roll over in the right and reach for you in the dark
Knowing the stars are shining bright in a
Black velvet sky.
But it was the passion that filled the air like black velvet heavy 
                         but soft and touchable. The passion of the emotions.


Lost in the Passion of Youth

Eagles, Emory

Forces 
Volume 2024 Article 56 
4-15-2024 
Passion Fruit 
Emory Eagles 
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Recommended Citation 
Eagles, Emory (2024) "Passion Fruit," Forces: Vol. 2024, Article 56. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.collin.edu/forces/vol2024/iss1/56 
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inclusion in Forces by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Collin. For more information, please contact 
mtomlin@collin.edu. 
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It’s Jack of Men
Peyton Penrose
It’s jack that jumped the candle
the same boy who sold the cow
and jack who tricked the devil
and fell down a lovely hill
and lost his head to madness
while heralding the new freeze
and jack who loved the candles
so earnestly he became free.
It’s jack that burned the candles
the same boy who murdered a man
and jack banned from heaven
and hell spit him out again
and jack who rode asunder
nary a breath as they somberly froze
and jack who loved the candles
so earnestly he is reborn once more.
Passion Fruit
Emory Eagles


Passion Fruit

Cruz, Michele

Forces 
Volume 2024 Article 58 
4-15-2024 
Peaceful Paws 
Michele Cruz 
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Recommended Citation 
Cruz, Michele (2024) "Peaceful Paws," Forces: Vol. 2024, Article 58. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.collin.edu/forces/vol2024/iss1/58 
This Photograph is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Collin. It has been accepted for 
inclusion in Forces by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Collin. For more information, please contact 
mtomlin@collin.edu. 
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F O R C E S
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M
any people w
ill disagree w
ith that, but m
issing and longing 
are tw
o different things. Y
ou m
iss things that you’ve experienced before,
 
 and m
ost of the tim
e you long for things you haven’t.     
things. You miss things that you’ve experienced 
before, and most of the time you long for things you 
haven’t. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines 
“Longing” as follows: “a strong desire, especially for 
something unattainable.” When we see someone in 
need or someone with a disability, our first thought 
is “I feel bad for them.” It’s just human nature. We 
don’t tend to think about the fact they are used to it, 
that they’ve lived their entire life in that state and 
adapted to every challenge they’ve faced.  
There’s nothing you can do to change who you 
are. You learn and grow with yourself and that’s 
something I’ve come to accept. I am different, and 
a way for others to learn, because that is how the 
world changes and grows. Even still there are 
countless nights of longing and dreaming of what 
a “normal” life would be like. To me, this is normal. 
It’s my normal.
Peaceful Paws
Michele Cruz


Peaceful Paws

King, Lauren

Forces 
Volume 2024 Article 64 
4-15-2024 
Pumpkin Playground 
Lauren King 
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Recommended Citation 
King, Lauren (2024) "Pumpkin Playground," Forces: Vol. 2024, Article 64. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.collin.edu/forces/vol2024/iss1/64 
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inclusion in Forces by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Collin. For more information, please contact 
mtomlin@collin.edu. 
2 7
F O R C E S
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Jeopardy and Peanuts
Matthew Ring
People remember big things like buildings and mountains
But often forget the small
We forget pennies, receipts, the last time you talked to someone
But when they become small
You carry them with you so they’re easy to remember
You may not realize it but they’re always in your pocket waiting to pop out
They’ll remind you when you see the show they would always watch
When you pass by the snack they always eat
When you hear something they always say
It’s never too loud, just enough to remind you that they are there
People say if you can’t see it, it doesn’t exist
And we may forget the small
But we remember jeopardy and peanuts.
Pumpkin 
Playground
Lauren King
Holiday
Twilight
Ann Tilger


Pumpkin Playground

Ho, Tiffany

Forces 
Volume 2024 Article 89 
4-15-2024 
Where Are You? 
Tiffany Ho 
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Recommended Citation 
Ho, Tiffany (2024) "Where Are You?," Forces: Vol. 2024, Article 89. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.collin.edu/forces/vol2024/iss1/89 
This Short Story is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Collin. It has been accepted for 
inclusion in Forces by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Collin. For more information, please contact 
mtomlin@collin.edu. 
6 1
F O R C E S
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Where Are You? 
Tiffany Ho 
We’re in the car as a chill seeps through me. “Should I ask to turn 
up the heater? No, we’re almost home anyways … I should just ask him. 
He’s my dad, it shouldn’t be this hard. Just talk to him.”  “Hey Bába, I’m 
cold, can you turn up the heater?” And he does, no question asked. 
Finally, after a long day of work at my Dad’s restaurant, we arrived 
home. As we are pulling up on our driveway after a long silent ride I start 
contemplating. “Do I say something? Goodnight? No, that’s dumb. Thank 
you? Ahhh, that’s even worse.”  I step out of the car without a word and 
make my way inside the house. 
I close the front door knowing he won’t be inside for at least a few 
minutes, leaving me time to take off my shoes and head to my room without 
having to awkwardly interact with him again. Yet, the front door opens 
immediately. “Sorry Bába, I thought you would be outside smoking,” I 
stammer. He brushes off his jacket, weariness evident. “I’m tired, going to 
bed,” he mentions, climbing the stairs and disappearing behind his door. 
I see my dad one week later when I go to work with him again. It’s  
weird. We live in the same house, but it’s only when I go to work with him  
that I see him.  
Sitting in the kitchen, three hours pass without a word between us.  
I start feeling hungry. “Should I ask him to make me something?”  It takes 
me a minute to build enough confidence to spell out the words. “Bába, 
can you make me something really quick?” I say as I pass by him to grab 
something. “Anything for my daughter,” he says. I smile and walk away 
thinking, “He always says that.” 
It’s my favorite part of any interaction with him. The only 
 time I really feel like he’s my dad. Then, the conversation
 ends and it’s back to us. 
6 2
It’s sweet how my father always says that. 
It’s my favorite part of any interaction with 
him. The only time I really feel like he’s my dad. 
Then, the conversation ends and it’s back to us. 
My father and my relationship has always 
been this way … strained. We don’t argue, but we 
also don’t talk. It’s as if our connection is merely 
a technicality: I am his daughter, he is my father, 
but beyond that lies a void. He serves as my 
provider, ensuring I have a roof over my head, 
food on the table, and all the necessary things 
I would ever need. He is there as a provider 
financially, but is that enough? 
Our distant relationship may, in all honesty, 
stem from my father’s upbringing. He was born 
into a family with meager resources, taking 
up the role of the eldest son responsible for 
supporting the entire household. His childhood 
was marked by hard work to support his 
family; perhaps this laid the foundation for his 
instinctual provider role? 
Reflecting on my father’s hardships, I 
understand why he embodies the demeanor 
he does, and I’m genuinely grateful for all he’s 
sacrificed. Yet, there are moments when a girl 
yearns for her dad. You know, like in movies 
where the daughter’s facing a crisis, and her 
father is always there to rescue her. That’s the 
kind of relationship I yearn for, one I envy. 
Additionally, it’s the little things — a father’s 
pride, a comforting embrace, a shared laugh—
that I crave. As that little girl within me, I long 
for these moments. But then, I gaze at my father 
and come to the stark realization that he’s 
become a stranger to me. 
He’s there and I am here. We live in the 
same house, yet not the same home? The 
meager words we exchange with each other just 
aren’t enough, so how do I make it enough? 
I’m sitting and wondering how we got here. 
“Has it always been like this? No, there has to 
have been a better point.”  But there hasn’t been. 
There has always been this invisible barrier 
between us that neither of us seemed willing to 
cross. Because if we crossed it, that would mean 
entering unknown territory — where we’d have 
to actually talk and truly get to know each other. 
But, that’s exactly what I want. So, why does it 
feel so hard to take that step?  
Our relationship could be changed by 
this one simple act. However, neither of us is 
choosing to act upon it. This may never change, 
and I’ll always be wondering, “Bába, where  
are you?”
“Mui Mui, your food’s ready,” my father says, 
snapping me out of my thoughts.  
“Oh, ok. Thank you, Bába,” I say, walking up 
to take the food. 
 Our relationship could be changed 
 by this one simple act. 
 However, neither of us is choosing to act upon it.


Where Are You?

Photobook and Two Prints 2 - 16”x20” and 8.5”x11” book Instructor: Lisa Means Class: Portfolio Developmenthttps://digitalcommons.collin.edu/studentphoto2024/1015/thumbnail.jp

Lumley, Katilyn

The Camera Eats First - 2024

Clay/Acrylic 20”x24”x10”https://digitalcommons.collin.edu/paa2024/1015/thumbnail.jp

Baghaie, Ramak

Dream - 2023

Mixed Papers on Wood 48”x48”https://digitalcommons.collin.edu/paa2024/1021/thumbnail.jp

Cole, Maureen

Expanding Concert 
of Many Within One - 2024

Oil on Canvas 16”x12”https://digitalcommons.collin.edu/paa2024/1033/thumbnail.jp

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Lisa Jo

Lost in the Passion of Youth

Passion Fruit

Peaceful Paws

Pumpkin Playground

Where Are You?

The Camera Eats First - 2024

Dream - 2023

Expanding Concert of Many Within One - 2024

Katchik - 2024

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