DigitalCommons@C.O.D.

Torkmani, Hala Al

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 44 
Number 2 Spring 2022 Article 94 
Spring 5-1-2022 
Moving On 
Hala Al Torkmani 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Torkmani, Hala Al (2022) "Moving On," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 44: No. 2, Article 94. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss2/94 
This Selection is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It 
has been accepted for inclusion in The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For 
more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu. 
Moving on Hala Al Torkmani
     I’m the type of person who hides their life stories and feelings away from the 
world. I keep every traumatic event stored in a box, so when the people around 
me talk about their problems, I listen, observe, and keep my mouth shut. Making 
them think that my life is perfect with no flaws, but that isn’t always the case. 
I’ve overcome unbelievable amounts of trauma at a young age that no one knows 
about. A few things like my teta Sameera’s (grandma Sameera’s) death. 
     As a kid, I grew up being closer to teta than my own mom, to the point that I 
felt like I loved her more too. On May 1st of 2011, Teta lost her battle to cancer, 
and I lost the closest person to me. Overcoming the depression and hopelessness 
that I felt for years after her death, was the hardest yet the most powerful thing 
I’ve ever had to do. A person’s bravest moment in life is when they realize that 
they’ve gotten back up and moved on from the trauma that caused them to break.
     I remember getting up in the middle of the night needing to use the bath-
room, just like any 10-year-old girl who suffers from insomnia. Walking out of 
the bathroom, I heard my mother’s cries coming from her room. Her big white 
doors were closed; my mom never closes her door when she sleeps. I knew some-
thing was wrong. Reaching for the handle, I opened the door and watched Baba 
holding Mama while she poured her heart and tears out onto his broad shoulder. 
As I climbed up on their bed, I pulled Mama close to me and wiped her salty wa-
ter-drops off of her red cheeks, soft like a baby.
     “What happened?” I said softly in a worried tone.
     “Sameera just died an hour ago,” said Baba so firmly. He didn’t shed one tear, 
which caught me off guard because he was extremely close to teta as well, but I 
guess that’s just how he copes with pain, holds it in.
     The next day, Mama booked the first flight to Jordan, our home country. She de-
cided last minute to take me with her, so I could have the chance to wave goodbye 
to my grandma for the last time. On the plane, I remember having my headphones 
on for most of the flight, watching movies, listening to music, trying to keep the 
thought that it hadn’t even been 24 hours since the loss of the most important 
person in my life, in the back of my head. Once we landed, none of my family 
members were there to pick us up, so we had to take a taxi. We were expecting to 
get to the family house and leave right away to go bury her, but once we got to the 
house, the funeral had already started. They had already buried her, without hav-
ing the patience to wait two extra hours for us to be able to say our goodbyes. It 
was very rude and disrespectful of my family to do that, knowing my mom hadn’t 
seen her mom in years. We tried our best to get there as soon as possible, but what 
they did shattered our hearts even more.
     A week later, after all the fights, negativity, and toxicity in the air, we finally 
flew back home. The vibes were still very depressing, but the hardest parts for me 
were going through the different stages of grief. Over the next month or so, I was 
in denial. I’d cry myself to sleep almost every night; I wasn’t able to process the 
fact that she was gone, forever. Later on, I got into this level of anger and stress 
that I had never felt before. I was so upset at the universe that I’d give attitude and 
yell at my parents, which was never like me. To be going through and feeling all 
those emotions was very unfortunate, because I was just a kid. I got into a really 
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Torkmani: Moving On
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bad depression to the point where I couldn’t see a purpose in life, and I didn’t 
care if I was dead or alive. I had to start going to therapy. About a year later was 
when I finally accepted that this is how I had to live life now. After my therapy 
sessions, I realized that I have to grow up to be successful for Teta: smile for her, 
cry for her, go through every emotion possible for her, and, most importantly, live 
my best life for her.
     Ten years later, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, not because I got “over her,” 
but because I became brave enough to be able to learn how to live without her. I 
learned how to not base my happiness on anyone but myself. I know saying that 
might sound selfish considering all the pain I went through as a kid, but as cliché 
as it sounds, losing my grandma is what made me who I am today. It took me 
years to get to where I am mentally and emotionally, but I wouldn’t be as strong 
and independent as I am today if I hadn’t lost my best friend.
Passing By, 
Katie Novotny
2
The Prairie Light Review, Vol. 44, No. 2 [2022], Art. 94
https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss2/94


English

Moving On

Novotny, Katie

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 44 
Number 2 Spring 2022 Article 95 
Spring 5-1-2022 
Passing By 
Katie Novotny 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Novotny, Katie (2022) "Passing By," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 44: No. 2, Article 95. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss2/95 
This Artwork is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It 
has been accepted for inclusion in The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For 
more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu. 
bad depression to the point where I couldn’t see a purpose in life, and I didn’t 
care if I was dead or alive. I had to start going to therapy. About a year later was 
when I finally accepted that this is how I had to live life now. After my therapy 
sessions, I realized that I have to grow up to be successful for Teta: smile for her, 
cry for her, go through every emotion possible for her, and, most importantly, live 
my best life for her.
     Ten years later, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, not because I got “over her,” 
but because I became brave enough to be able to learn how to live without her. I 
learned how to not base my happiness on anyone but myself. I know saying that 
might sound selfish considering all the pain I went through as a kid, but as cliché 
as it sounds, losing my grandma is what made me who I am today. It took me 
years to get to where I am mentally and emotionally, but I wouldn’t be as strong 
and independent as I am today if I hadn’t lost my best friend.
Passing By, 
Katie Novotny
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Novotny: Passing By
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Passing By

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 44 
Number 2 Spring 2022 Article 96 
Spring 5-1-2022 
Gratitude 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
(2022) "Gratitude," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 44: No. 2, Article 96. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss2/96 
This Back Matter is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. 
It has been accepted for inclusion in The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For 
more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu. 
Gratitude
The team at Prairie Light Review is grateful for the support of Dr. Brian Caputo, 
Dr. Mark Curtis-Chavez, Dr. Diana Del Rosario, and Dean Robyn Schiffman. 
The finished product of this journal would have been impossible if not for the 
unwavering support of our faculty especially in English, Creative Writing, 
Humanities and Art but across all the divisions (and the Honors Program!). Thanks 
for continuing to encourage students to revise and submit their submissions. 
Much thanks to Chuck Steele, Shannon Hernandez, Jelymar Mejia, and the Office 
of Student Life for their support and assistance with publicity as well as Jennifer 
Duda. Thanks to the CoD Library and Staff. Additional gratitude is due to Karen 
Kuhn, Cathie Walker, Paula Burns, and the Budilovsky family. We are so grateful 
to the talented in dividuals at Alpha Graphics in Lisle, and especially to Doug 
Wade, without whom this would be impossible.
Colophon
Twice a year, College of DuPage invites all COD students, faculty and staff, as 
well as the entirety of District 502 to submit original literature and artwork for 
publication in the community liberal arts journal, the Prairie Light Review. This 
year Prairie Light Review accepted works of original fiction, nonfiction, essays, 
drama, poetry, graphic essays, photography, and 2D or 3D artwork of any medium 
to be considered for publication. Students enrolled in English 2210 worked as 
student editors to read and evaluate all submissions through a fair and anonymous 
system of evaluation. The class was guided by our faculty advisor, Adam Fotos, 
who oversees class proceedings, leads hiring decisions of class officers, and 
advises on creative and technical decisions of all varieties. 
Throughout the semester, our officers- Editor in Chief, Production Editor, and 
Marketing Editor- serve pertinent roles in ensuring the quality of our publication. 
Our Marketing Editor manages all of our social media and community connections, 
ensuring that the public is aware of the opportunities available to them, and the 
details of upcoming events. The Production Editor creates the overall design 
of the journal, deciding formatting, color scheme, piece placement, and other 
technical decisions. The Editor in Chief supervises all operations of the team, 
makes executive decisions on submissions, and advises Assistant Editors in their 
work. Final edits are approved by our entire team before the finished publication 
is sent to the printers.
Cover: 80 Pound Matte Paperstock
Design: Adobe Photoshop CC 2020.15.02.1, Adobe InDesign CC, Adobe 
Illustrator CC. Composed on a Apple MacBook Air
Finance and Operation: the publication is funded through College of   
DuPage’s Student Life
Publishing: AlphaGraphics, Lisle, Illinois
Paperstock: 70 pound Matte Paperstock
Photography: All photography in this magazine is provided by residents  
 of District 502
Typography: Hiragino Kaku and Times New Roman, available through Adobe & 
paid for by Student Life
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et al.: Gratitude
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Gratitude

Choudhury, Elora

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 44 
Number 2 Spring 2022 Article 81 
Spring 5-1-2022 
Flowery Faith 
Elora Choudhury 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Choudhury, Elora (2022) "Flowery Faith," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 44: No. 2, Article 81. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss2/81 
This Selection is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It 
has been accepted for inclusion in The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For 
more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu. 
Flowery Faith
Elora Choudhury
Planting seeds of hope
Buds that start to grow
A blossoming sprout
An expanding petal crown
Flowers that flourish and expand across the crowd  
Hope is freedom
Hope is love
Hope is the journey
The beginning
The infinite end
The only weapon you need
The greatest protection
Just from a seed
A glimmer from inception
You must pay heed,
For hope starts with you
Follow the lead
Lavender Droplet Pirouette, Allison Klein
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Choudhury: Flowery Faith
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Flowery Faith

Kimball, Matthew

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 44 
Number 2 Spring 2022 Article 11 
Spring 5-1-2022 
A Lake, Not An Ocean 
Matthew Kimball 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Kimball, Matthew (2022) "A Lake, Not An Ocean," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 44: No. 2, Article 11. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss2/11 
This Selection is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It 
has been accepted for inclusion in The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For 
more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu. 
A Lake, Not an Ocean 
Matthew Kimball
While the waves become restless, and the air wilder, 
You must remember the wounds possessed prior. 
The lake may be less serene, 
But it lacks the darker ocean’s green. 
The size is something that shouldn’t be mistaken, 
No matter how hard you are forsaken. 
The problem seems big at the moment 
But it shall not leave a large atonement. 
The light hidden behind clouds shall be seen, 
To the ports, you have been. 
On Waiting, Shawn Gollnick
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Kimball: A Lake, Not An Ocean
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A Lake, Not An Ocean

Maniar, Jigna

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 44 
Number 2 Spring 2022 Article 37 
Spring 5-1-2022 
Motion in the City, Chicago 
Jigna Maniar 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Maniar, Jigna (2022) "Motion in the City, Chicago," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 44: No. 2, Article 37. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss2/37 
This Artwork is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It 
has been accepted for inclusion in The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For 
more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu. 
Motion in the city, Chicago, Jigna Maniar
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Maniar: Motion in the City, Chicago
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Motion in the City, Chicago

English, Carlene

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 44 
Number 2 Spring 2022 Article 50 
Spring 5-1-2022 
Run 
Carlene English 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
English, Carlene (2022) "Run," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 44: No. 2, Article 50. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss2/50 
This Selection is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It 
has been accepted for inclusion in The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For 
more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu. 
Run 
Carlene English
My head slips between the cracks and corners of fragmented cement.  
Woven in the ground, my body is secure. Pulling and never letting go.  
It isn’t clear where my feet are pounding, just steady thumps synchronous with 
the heart that feeds it. Wind gently sweeps my skin, flourishing as the earth spins
    rapidly.  
Thick as blood, my sharp exterior slices its compact arrangement, splitting the 
world in two yet binding the realm beneath me.  
Like a knife that melts through the soft flesh of fruit and halts at the tough armor 
   of its pit.  
Salty sweat trickles down at the wind’s abrasion, yielding the fruits of labor. 
Holy Ghost, Morgan Marrazzo
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English: Run
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Ryles, Ben

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 44 
Number 2 Spring 2022 Article 65 
Spring 5-1-2022 
Sinking Ship 
Ben Ryles 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Ryles, Ben (2022) "Sinking Ship," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 44: No. 2, Article 65. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss2/65 
This Selection is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It 
has been accepted for inclusion in The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For 
more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu. 
Sinking Ship
Ben Ryles
There’s a hole in the boat
And we’re both going down
He’s got the life vest
While I’m gonna drown
A hole in the boat
He’s got the plug
He’s just sitting there laughing
And looking all smug
There’s a hole in our boat
With no one around
Everyone’s moved
And they’ve all swam for town
There’s a hole in this boat
I stuck my finger in
But the salt in the water
Eats away at my skin
There’s a hole in my boat
And we’re both going down
He’s got the life vest
While I’m gonna drown Misunderstood, 
Kelly Steciak
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Ryles: Sinking Ship
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Sinking Ship

Parenti, Kathryn

Into the Light

Anderson, Will

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 45 
Number 1 Fall 2022 Article 8 
Fall 12-1-2022 
Editor's Note 
Will Anderson 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Anderson, Will (2022) "Editor's Note," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 45: No. 1, Article 8. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol45/iss1/8 
This Prefatory Note is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at 
DigitalCommons@COD. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of 
DigitalCommons@COD. For more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu. 
Editorial Team
 Editor in Chief  
 - Will Anderson
 Production Editor 
 - Star Herring
 Marketing Editor 
 - Bee Bishop
 Assistant Editors 
 - Sophia Copper 
 - Kait Harland
 - Ross LaSalle
 Faculty Advisor 
 - Adam Fotos
Editor’s Note
A great thanks to our team whose efforts are nothing short of  
inspirational. It’s truly a joy to experience the love, zeal, and 
passion you all have illustrated as editors, and as emerging cre-
atives. You have given this journal its breath of  life, making my 
first semester as Editor-In-Chief  altogether fruitful. Personally, 
I have been overwhelmed at the quality and brilliance of  the 
work we are able to showcase. My greatest appreciation for all 
our talented writers, artists, and creatives. I will always treasure 
our conversations and at times eventful debates. I’m reminded 
that even in the uncertainty of  production or of  daily life, we 
all sift through the malaise of  time. Moment by moment. Hour 
to hour.
This issue is organized on the basis of  the cycle we find ourselves 
in day to day. How our days may feel rudimentary, mundane 
and yet there is always the certainty of  noon, of  seven O’clock, 
and everything in between. How every moment may be as bor-
ing as it is beautiful. Here you will find a key illustrating the 
time of  day associated with each work. 
This issue of  PLR is dedicated to all those who wander, may 
your words and work always have a place here. 
-Editor in Chief  of  Prairie Light Review, Will Anderson
Cover: Christine Cianciosi. Tiles in the Sky. Digital Art
prairielightreview.com 
cod.edu/student_life/publications/prairie_light_review
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Anderson: Editor's Note
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