DigitalCommons@C.O.D.

Yearman, Keith

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 45 
Number 1 Fall 2022 Article 58 
Fall 12-1-2022 
Ballet Folklorico Xochitl 
Keith Yearman 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Yearman, Keith (2022) "Ballet Folklorico Xochitl," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 45: No. 1, Article 58. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol45/iss1/58 
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. 
Keith Yearman. Ballet Folklorico Xochitl. Digital photograph
Universes of  Us
Mariana Quezada
There’s a universe where I don’t go
Where I promise to stay with you forever
A universe where my children meet yours
Where we’re two birds of  a feather
There’s even one where I bite your ear off
Where you kiss me under the umbrella
Where we don’t have it as rough
Where I am Marlon and you’re Stella
46
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Yearman: Ballet Folklorico Xochitl
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2022


English

Ballet Folklorico Xochitl

The 2022 COD Library Research Symposium keynote speaker is Dr. Ben Whisenhunt, Professor of History at College of DuPage. He holds a Ph.D. in Russian history from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has published eight books on Russian history, with a special emphasis on Russian-American Relations. He was a J. William Fulbright Senior Scholar in Russia in 2006. He is currently co-managing editor of the Journal of Russian American Studies (JRAS) https://journals.ku.edu/jras
Following Dr. Whisenhunt\u27s address, we will conclude the Symposium with the Student Awards Ceremony

Whisenhunt, Ben

Keynote Address

When asked how he felt about his groundbreaking masterpiece, The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams said he regarded it as his saddest play. The purpose of my research was to investigate Williams\u27s life before and during his writing The Glass Menagerie to identify the autobiographical elements of the piece and establish a deeper understanding of Williams\u27s feelings towards his work.
Faculty Sponsor: Amelia Barret

Brando, Rowan

The Glass Menagerie:   His Saddest Play

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 45 
Number 1 Fall 2022 Article 5 
Fall 12-1-2022 
Rolling Submissions 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
(2022) "Rolling Submissions," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 45: No. 1, Article 5. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol45/iss1/5 
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. 
About
The Prairie Light Review is the liberal arts journal of  the College of  
DuPage. This biannual journal seeks to showcase the diverse work 
produced by creative individuals surrounding us. Our publication exists 
entirely because of  our loyal community, as we only accept submissions 
from District 502 and rely on our team of  student editors to edit, format, 
and produce the literary journal. Each piece submitted is evaluated 
anonymously in order to ensure objectivity. 
Join
To join our Editorial team, enroll in English 2210 for the upcoming 
semester! 
Direct additional inquiries to: 
 Adam Fotos, Faculty Advisor 
 fotosa@cod.edu
 630-942-3167
Rolling Submissions
The Prairie Light Review accepts submissions throughout the academic 
year. We accept submissions of  any in the following categories: original 
fiction, nonfiction, essays, drama, poetry, graphic essays, black and 
white and color photography, and 2D and 3D artwork of  any medium. 
If  you are interested, please submit all work to:
 prairielightreviewsubmissions@gmail.com
Scholarship Info
The Budilovsky Literary Scholarship provides one $500 award per 
semester in conjunction with being published in the College of  DuPage’s 
Prairie Light Review. To be considered for this award, the entrant must 
remain a student at COD the following semester and have written a 
quality piece of  any type (i.e., essay, poem, short story, etc.). Preference 
will be made to pieces that are autobiographical in nature.
More at:
      
    
                         @cod_plr
        prairielightreview.com 
cod.edu/student_life/publications/prairie_light_review
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et al.: Rolling Submissions
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Rolling Submissions

Quezada, Mariana

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 45 
Number 1 Fall 2022 Article 59 
Fall 12-1-2022 
Universes of Us 
Mariana Quezada 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Quezada, Mariana (2022) "Universes of Us," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 45: No. 1, Article 59. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol45/iss1/59 
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. 
Keith Yearman. Ballet Folklorico Xochitl. Digital photograph
Universes of  Us
Mariana Quezada
There’s a universe where I don’t go
Where I promise to stay with you forever
A universe where my children meet yours
Where we’re two birds of  a feather
There’s even one where I bite your ear off
Where you kiss me under the umbrella
Where we don’t have it as rough
Where I am Marlon and you’re Stella
46
1
Quezada: Universes of Us
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2022
One where we cry at graduation
Where the beach is our sacred place
Where we’re each other’s salvation
Where you gift me a ribbon made of  lace
I wonder if  we’d still choose the same
If  we were meant to fall apart
A wretched friendship, a dying flame
If  I was destined to break our heart
There’s a universe where we’re buried as one
Yet not buried for our want
You know I’d love you in every planet
Even if  I wouldn’t want it.
Natalie Toreeva. Old Man. Pen and Ink
47
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The Prairie Light Review, Vol. 45, No. 1 [2022], Art. 59
https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol45/iss1/59


Universes of Us

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 44 
Number 2 Spring 2022 Article 3 
Spring 5-1-2022 
About PLR 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
(2022) "About PLR," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 44: No. 2, Article 3. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss2/3 
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. 
ABOUT    
 PLR
The Prairie Light Review is 
the liberal arts journal of the 
College of DuPage. This bian-
nual journal seeks to showcase 
the diverse work produced by 
creative individuals surround-
ing us. Our publication exists 
entirely because of our loyal 
community, as we only accept 
submissions from District 502 
and rely on our team of student 
editors to edit, format, and pro-
duce the literary journal. Each 
piece submitted is evaluated 
anonymously in order to ensure 
objectivity. 
JO
IN
To join our Editorial 
team, enroll in English 
2210 for the upcoming 
semester! 
Direct additional 
inquiries to: 
Adam Fotos, Faculty Advisor 
            fotosa@cod.edu
            630-942-3167
More at:
@cod_plr       
prairielightreview.com 
cod.edu/student_life/publications/
prairie_light_review
1
et al.: About PLR
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2022


About PLR

Kreger, Jack

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 44 
Number 2 Spring 2022 Article 9 
Spring 5-1-2022 
Late Autumn Sunrise 
Jack Kreger 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Kreger, Jack (2022) "Late Autumn Sunrise," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 44: No. 2, Article 9. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss2/9 
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. 
SO
LI
D
A
R
IT
Y
Paris Café Writing
Mardelle Fortier
 
Moon falls over a sidewalk café
and I write in a slow drip of words.
Espresso tries to shake synapses awake
as I scribble on a lonely page.
 
Two painters pontificate at the next table
while a poem leafs out in the dark.
In the lulls of silence I can almost hear
the faint music at my core.
 
Hunger drives me from deep inside;
have not eaten all day. I weep
for every artist, striving down solitary
streets of the heart.
Late Autumn Sunrise. Jack Kreger
8
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Kreger: Late Autumn Sunrise
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2022


Late Autumn Sunrise

Sardina, Linnea

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 44 
Number 2 Spring 2022 Article 22 
Spring 5-1-2022 
Tiger Lilly 
Linnea Sardina 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Sardina, Linnea (2022) "Tiger Lilly," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 44: No. 2, Article 22. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss2/22 
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. 
An Orange Tragedy        
Becky Lindhardt
Nothing rhymes with orange, which I find very strange.
With all the rhymes in the world, there should be a wide range.
The fruit may be nutritious,
and the color is delicious,
but anyone who tries to rhyme it is probably deranged.
 Is there a way to move around, a way to rearrange?
Can we redo the alphabet and find letters to exchange?
No… that is too ambitious…
Nothing rhymes with orange. 
What can we do to fix this err, so we may make a change?
For all the words that do not rhyme, in which orange is estranged.
It’s lonely and malicious,
to help would be judicious.
Because here lies the disappointment of this very age:
Nothing rhymes with orange.
Tiger Lilly, Linnea Sardina
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Sardina: Tiger Lilly
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Tiger Lilly

Johnson, Michael Lee

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 44 
Number 2 Spring 2022 Article 47 
Spring 5-1-2022 
Deep in My Couch 
Michael Lee Johnson 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Johnson, Michael Lee (2022) "Deep in My Couch," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 44: No. 2, Article 47. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss2/47 
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. 
Undying
MJ Dillon
The never-ending cycle of life and death; a constant loop no one can escape. 
Many believe immortality is a blessing but, in reality, it is a curse. 
I have been forced to watch the people I hold dear wither away as I remain.
Year after year, decade after decade, century after century I have begged for death. 
Yet no God will answer my prayer when their same blood flows through my veins. 
I have lost too many friends, too many lovers with beating hearts inside them. 
With each death my soul breaks. 
I tell myself time and time again, I will never fall for another. 
Never again, I said. 
Yet, here I am, back in the human realm living a mortal life. 
The hunger for a normal life burns inside of me, like a hole I cannot fill. 
An everlasting flame I try to smother with every passing day. 
Because after the world ends and everyone is dead, I will still be here, drowning in   
    my sorrows.
Deep in my Couch
Michael Lee Johnson 
 
Deep in my couch 
of magnetic dust,
I am a bearded old man.
I pull out my last bundle 
of memories beneath
my pillow for review.
What is left, old man,
cry solo in the dark.
Here is a small treasure chest
of crude diamonds, a glimpse 
of white gold, charcoal, 
fingers dipped in black tar.
I am a temple of worship with trinket dreams,
a tea kettle whistling ex-lovers boiling inside.
At dawn, shove them under, let me work.
We are all passengers traveling
on that train of the past—
senses, sins, errors, or omissions
deep in that couch.
47
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Johnson: Deep in My Couch
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Deep in My Couch

Rashid, Khadijah

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 44 
Number 2 Spring 2022 Article 57 
Spring 5-1-2022 
Nostalgia 
Khadijah Rashid 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Rashid, Khadijah (2022) "Nostalgia," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 44: No. 2, Article 57. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss2/57 
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. 
Nostalgia
Khadijah Rashid
A gaping hole in my chest
That I try to fill
On a cold sidewalk bench 
Or the wet edge of a curb
With yet another new friend
Or a spill of words
A gaping hole in my chest
Torn open by
An old favorite song
Or a well-loved book
But maybe I’m wrong
And won’t see a hole, if I look
At that longing for 
Something tucked so well away 
It felt like it was no longer there
Till something dug it out one day 
And made me aware
Night Moves, 
Christopher Howes
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Rashid: Nostalgia
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College of DuPage

Not a member yet

Ballet Folklorico Xochitl

Keynote Address

The Glass Menagerie: His Saddest Play

Rolling Submissions

Universes of Us

About PLR

Late Autumn Sunrise

Tiger Lilly

Deep in My Couch

Nostalgia

7,467

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