DigitalCommons@C.O.D.

Martinez Garcia, Giselle

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 43 
Number 2 Spring 2021 Article 11 
Spring 5-1-2021 
Turbulence 
Giselle Martinez Garcia 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Martinez Garcia, Giselle (2021) "Turbulence," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 43 : No. 2 , Article 11. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol43/iss2/11 
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. 
Turbulence. Giselle Martinez Garcia 
(top right) Snowy Owl At Dusk. Samantha L. Egbert
8
1
Martinez Garcia: Turbulence
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2021


English

Turbulence

Cunningham, Michael

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 43 
Number 2 Spring 2021 Article 22 
Spring 5-1-2021 
Underwood 
Michael Cunningham 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Cunningham, Michael (2021) "Underwood," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 43 : No. 2 , Article 22. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol43/iss2/22 
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. 
Underwood                    Michael Cunningham
The squabbling crows screamed and bickered from the tall pines outside 
the window of the old log cabin. Every sunrise, they started the day with the 
same squawking argument. Knowing there wouldn’t be a resolution with-
out a mediator, I decided to try and break it up. I picked up my now cold 
mug of black coffee, switched off the gaslight, and stepped out into the gray 
morning. 
Noticing my entrance into the conversation and having no interest in my 
particular point of view, the pair of birds heaved themselves into the air 
with great black wings. They flew eastward over the channel, moving like 
a living shadow of the other. I walked to the edge of the water to see off the 
feathered belligerents. In the distance, the drone of a fog horn reverberated 
off the hills. The sound grew and crescendoed into a blast that could have 
felled the walls of Jericho. I sat on the rocky shore sipping my dark brew. 
The blanket of mist that hung over the old forest lifted itself up into the sky 
and became the clouds.  
The far-off object on the horizon was just a black dot at my periphery as I sat 
and watched the clear Lake Huron water lap at the shore. The achingly cold 
water washed over the glacially tumbled granite and puddingstone, wetting 
the night’s deposit of driftwood and flotsam. 
The sky loomed. 
A tanker slowly making its way along the horizon pulled my gaze in your 
direction. I watched the water lap at the shore, the wake from the great ship 
arriving with a little more gusto than the rest of its cohort. My eye drifted 
back to the ship again, and then up to the lighthouse on the horizon. The 
lighthouse had been draped in mist for days, but today I could make out the 
outline. I reached for my Bushnells to get a better look. Its tower of white 
blocks and red glass stood tall on the horizon. I scanned southward and 
caught the day-glo orange buoy rocking back and forth. 
And then I saw you.
From my vantage, you appeared to be adjacent to the buoy. So small that you 
must have been quite a ways from it. You were so far off I couldn’t make out 
your details. A seagull? A fishing boat? A distant iron tanker? For a solid 
minute, I tried steadying my view until finally resting my arms on the back 
of the bench to get you into focus. 
And there you were.
Your tiny little dot of a head balanced on your shoulders, and the way it jerk-
ed asunder gave you away as human. Then I saw your arms waving frantical-
ly through the air. My heart fell into the pit of my stomach.
1
Cunningham: Underwood
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2021
I searched the horizon for more signs of life – anything that could promise 
refuge. There was nothing. No one watching over you to make sure you were 
safe. No one to reach down and scoop you up into a boat where you could 
sigh and dry in the sun. 
I looked away.
I began running as fast as I could toward the dock. The closest phone would 
be in town, but if I could just get to the boat, maybe... And then, as suddenly 
as I started running, I stopped and felt the life drain from my shoulders. 
I couldn’t bear the thought. The sheer distance between us became the 
weight of our fateful situation. I was too far away to get to you in time. From 
my little scrap of land, the dock was a ten-minute run. Then to get the boat 
out of the bay. Then maybe another thirty minutes to the beach where I as-
sumed you were. And that was on a good day. Today was not a good day. How 
could I even find you through the rough and chopping water? We could nev-
er meet.
I’d been to that beach many times before and had felt the tide tugging me 
away. The natural shape of the bay funnels the water around and out to the 
lake at incredible speed. The water is mostly safe, but in the middle of the 
narrow bay, the rip current can pull even the most experienced lake-goer 
hundreds of yards out into the deep. With the water so cold, a lone swimmer 
could get into trouble with ease. Maybe you were a tourist and didn’t heed 
the warnings on the posts. Maybe your mother thought you were a strong 
swimmer and didn’t watch you closely. I reached for my Bushnells to see if I 
could find you again. I figured that if you were all alone, at the least, I owed 
you my attention. I’d spend those last few moments with you. 
I looked along the horizon. Lighthouse...buoy...you. You? You weren’t there. 
I looked for five minutes. Back and forth across and down. Where did you 
go? Maybe you had floated further north and back around the bay. Maybe, 
you didn’t. 
I started walking toward the dock. I didn’t see any need to rush. By the time I 
got to where I last saw you, there would be a search and rescue boat with you 
sitting on the deck, shivering and gasping for air, your shoulders wrapped 
tightly in a brightly colored towel. Or maybe I was too late. Either way, rush-
ing would be futile. As I walked the wooded path, my feet fell onto the soft 
mossy ground, and I could smell the spruce and balsam in the air.
The boat rocked in the waves and softly bounced against the dock. I released 
the lines and pushed off, firing up the outboard and heading toward the 
spot on the horizon that had been you. As I sped along the shoreline, I kept 
searching for you with the binoculars, hoping I’d been mistaken and you 
were now safe and sound.
    ( right)  Sunset Boat Waves.  Samantha L. Egbert
2
The Prairie Light Review, Vol. 43, No. 2 [2021], Art. 22
https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol43/iss2/22
When I reached the little bay across the channel, there was no one in sight. 
Typically, early in the day, tourists weren’t up and about, today appeared 
to be no exception. I scanned the beach and saw something piled above the 
tideline. I pulled in closer, threw the anchor, and waded to shore. 
There in the sand sat the last vestiges of you. A faded blue beach towel and 
a pair of old leather sandals. I couldn’t make out from the size of the sandal 
whether you were 16 or 60, a grandmother or a grandson. From the fraying 
edges of your towel, I could see that you had spent many a day beachside. I 
stared at your shoes for a while. 
I walked the 20 yards or so to the path that led to the parking lot. At its star-
board side, a tall wooden pole stood guard over the lonely beach. At the foot 
of the denuded pole, facedown in the sand, lay a sign. I flipped it over and 
read the red capital letters. 
WARNING! 
RIP CURRENTS
YOU COULD BE 
SWEPT OUT 
AND DROWN.
3
Cunningham: Underwood
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2021


Underwood

Mason, Shawn

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 43 
Number 2 Spring 2021 Article 50 
Spring 5-1-2021 
Ascension 
Shawn Mason 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Mason, Shawn (2021) "Ascension," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 43 : No. 2 , Article 50. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol43/iss2/50 
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. 
CW: suicidal thoughts  
Emotions                                                            Melisande E. Bocker
I was on the bridge again. I always came here when sleep did not come 
for me. It’s a quiet bridge, not too far from my home, surrounded by 
woods, a single shining lamppost illuminated my bridge, and the boy 
holding the railing, mustering the courage to let go. 
“What’s it like?” I asked. He knew I was there, heard my bare feet on 
the asphalt, saw me pause upon leaving the trees. The night was quiet 
enough, the river far enough, that I was the sole sound in an otherwise 
silent world. 
“Hopeless.” The boy replied. I walked beside him and leaned on the cold 
metal railing. 
“What does hopelessness feel like?” 
“Like nothing you do matters, that nothing will ever improve, that you 
are completely stuck.” 
53
1
Mason: Ascension
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2021


Ascension

Woody, Lisamarie

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 43 
Number 2 Spring 2021 Article 68 
Spring 5-1-2021 
Haruko 
Lisamarie Woody 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Woody, Lisamarie (2021) "Haruko," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 43 : No. 2 , Article 68. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol43/iss2/68 
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. 
  
                     Haruko                                                                 Lisamarie Woody
 Her name meant Spring and like its fresh air,
 She possessed a heart so full of true care,
 With glistening eyes of the richest brown,
 Her mouth rarely displaying the slightest frown,
 She danced about her kitchen in delight,
 Creating meals with love for all Insight.
 The day did come when her body would no longer,
 No matter her struggle the lungs did not grow stronger,
 And so she resolved to a state of good rest,
 Leaving us to cook and clean at our very best,
 Nothing we did ever seemed it was enough,
 We lamented daily of the loss which would be so tough.
 Finally the night of death had arrived,
 But no one gathered to say their good byes,
 For she slipped away before any could know,
 She was never concerned with being the show,
 In the morning we knew our family’s heart had passed on,
 Looking down from above telling us to be strong.
 We never forgot the woman who gave us much joy,
 The one who held our hands as a little girl and a boy,
 The challenge remains to not long for her kiss,
 As we walk in our lives feeling something amiss,
 But in our minds we know that she would want,
 The strength of her love to last as our heart’s haunt.
(left) Memories. Rachel Kennedy
73
1
Woody: Haruko
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2021


Haruko

Cunningham, Katy

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 43 
Number 2 Spring 2021 Article 69 
Spring 5-1-2021 
Nika 
Katy Cunningham 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Cunningham, Katy (2021) "Nika," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 43 : No. 2 , Article 69. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol43/iss2/69 
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. 
1
Cunningham: Nika
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2021


Nika

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 43 
Number 2 Spring 2021 Article 70 
Spring 5-1-2021 
Budilovsky Award Winner for Fall 2020 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
(2021) "Budilovsky Award Winner for Fall 2020," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 43 : No. 2 , Article 70. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol43/iss2/70 
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. 
  
Budilovsky Award Winner for Fall 2020
Prairie Light Review would like to take a moment to honor the 
previous winner of the Budilovsky Literary Award, which is 
given to the Best Written Work by a College of DuPage student 
each semester.  More information on this award can be found 
on page 2 of this edition. 
Nellie Bly Workman is the most recent winner of the scholar-
ship, appearing in the Fall 2020 volume with “The Lady Fran-
kenstein Looks Into a Mirror”. An extremely versatile piece that 
can speak to people from all walks of life, it initiates a conversa-
tion on how society forces people to fight for who they are, and 
not who others want them to be. Nellie artfully weaves clever 
imagery and subtext together to create a piece with astounding 
depth beneath the surface. 
Nika. Katy Cunningham
(right) Bliss.  Lily Mayfield 
74
1
et al.: Budilovsky Award Winner for Fall 2020
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2021


Budilovsky Award Winner for Fall 2020

Student will investigate the heart function of heart patients who suffer from COVID-19 from a biological and physics-based lens and identify innovative treatment options to alleviate symptoms and blood flow. Students will seek faculty advising one-on-one with Dr. Purcell and additional, from other faculty members in the biology and physics departments at the College of DuPage. Student will also research ways to study heart function in the classroom and develop a model for further study.
Faculty Sponsor: Susan Purcel

Syed, Samiha

The Effects of 
COVID-19 on Heart 
Function
Samiha Syed
College of DuPage Honors Program
Relationship between COVID-19 and Cardiovascular System Conditions/Concerns 
● “COVID-19 exacerbates pre-existing cardiovascular conditions”
● “COVID-19 may result in inflammation-facilitated acute events” (Mai et. al)
Ischemic/inflammatory heart disease 
● Narrowing of the coronary arteries due to disease or complications in the heart's major 
blood vessels, which restricts blood flow to the heart
Ventricular arrhythmias
● Abnormalities in heartbeat that originate in the ventricles (lower chambers of the heart)
Conduction disturbances
● Electrical disturbances of the electrical system that enables heartbeats to travel in the 
heart
These conditions include:
Conditions:
Thrombotic events at the level of the lungs
● "Thrombosis occurs when blood clots block your blood vessels. There are 2 main types of 
thrombosis: Venous thrombosis is when the blood clot blocks a vein. (Veins carry blood from 
the body back into the heart) Arterial thrombosis is when the blood clot blocks an artery." (Mai 
et. al)
Systemic activation of the coagulation cascade
● "In severe sepsis, mononuclear cells, stimulated by pro-inflammatory cytokines, express tissue 
factor, which leads to systemic activation of coagulation [32]. Even in experimental low-dose 
endotoxemia in healthy subjects, a 125-fold increase in tissue factor mRNA levels in blood 
monocytes can be detected [33]." (Mai et. al)
Configuring the scenario of disseminated intravascular coagulation 
● "Which results in generation and deposition of fibrin, leading to microvascular thrombi in 
various organs and contributing to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS)." (Mai et. al)
Factors & Cases
According to an article titled: “COVID-19 and cardiovascular diseases” in the Journal of Cardiology 
(2020) by Francesca Mai et. al
COVID-19 cases are more life-threatening for elderly individuals and for patients who suffer from 
two or more diseases/conditions simultaneously  
[Case 1]
Patient pool: 3335 Italian patients dying in-hospital as of June 4th and (for whom it was possible to 
analyze clinic charts), 
- 136 deceased patients (4.1%) had no pre-existing pathologies, 
- Already have 1-3 diseases/conditions: 493 (14.8%), 716 (21.5%), and 1990 (59.7%) 
In order of most frequently reported for hospitalized COVID-19 student cases: 
1. Hypertension
2. Diabetes 
3. Ischemic heart disease
Factors & Cases
[Case 2] - Wuhan, China
44,672 confirmed COVID-19 cases 
Increased case-fatality rates in the presence of 
- Cardiovascular diseases (10.5%) 
- Hypertension (6.0%) 
- Overall case-fatality rate: 2.3% [11]. 
[Analysis of Several Cases] - Italy
- Hypertension was the most common comorbidity among COVID-19 patients referred to the Intensive 
Care Unit (ICU) irrespective of age,  
- Global prevalence: 49%
- Cardiovascular diseases (21%) 
- Hypercholesterolemia (18%) [12]. 
- The prevalence of hypertension was higher among critically ill patients who died in the ICU compared 
with individuals discharged from the ICU 
- "As the most common pre-existing conditions, cardiovascular diseases might have potentially 
exacerbated the severity of COVID-19."                                                                          (Mai et. al)
Relationship upon Onset & Effects
"COVID-19 is a lung disease however, it can begin with signs of a severe coronary artery disease 
or myocarditis in the absence of a history of cardiovascular diseases, or in the presence of isolated 
cardiovascular risk factors" (Mai et. al)
Effects
“Like other respiratory tract infections, pre-existing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CV risk factors enhance
vulnerability to COVID-19. Furthermore, COVID-19 can worsen underlying CVD and even precipitate de novo 
(from the new) cardiac complications.” (Bansal)
- These patients are more likely to develop COVID-19 and experience more severe clinical conditions (of 
COVID-19 and accompanying CVD)
“Myocardial damage can be caused by direct myocardial injury related to upregulation of angiotensin-converting 
enzyme 2 (ACE2) in the heart and coronary vessels.” (Bansal)
- COVID-19 and cardiovascular diseases present a “reciprocal influence” as in “pre-existing pathologies 
exacerbate the infectious disease, and SARS-CoV-2 [induces or worsens] acute cardiovascular events.” 
Further Effects on the Cardiovascular System
[Direct Effect of COVID-19 on the Heart]
The long-term effects of COVID-19 on the cardiovascular system are unknown. However, COVID-19 patients with 
cardiovascular diseases/conditions should be closely monitored with respect to COVID-19  symptoms and the expression 
of the cardiovascular disease/condition
“Thrombosis (blood clots) in patients with COVID-19 are localized and occur in the lungs. Although, the site is “atypical,” 
patients are presenting clots even “without a history and absence of risk factors that may cause thrombosis.” (Mai et. al)
“They include the possibility of thrombotic manifestations in the form of local (i.e. pulmonary) or systemic (DIC) events, as 
well as QT interval prolongation.” (Bansal)
- Local, DIC and QT are types of clotting with varying degrees of severity of which life-threatening clots are included.
[Indirect Effect of COVID-19 on the Heart]
“The therapy used to treat the viral infection, as well as some clinical manifestations of the disease, can trigger the 
development of ventricular tachyarrhythmias or conduction disturbances.” (Mai et. al)
- Irregularities in heart function such as irregular (fast and slow) heart beats and electrical signals are common 
especially amongst COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU
Cardiovascular Complication Mechanisms in COVID-19
● "Direct myocardial injury- SARS-CoV-2 binds to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a 
membrane bound aminopeptidase which, leads to acute myocardial and lung injury"  (Bansal)
- Myocardial - relating to muscle tissue of the heart
- Angiotensin is a protein whose presence in the blood promotes aldosterone secretion 
and tends to raise blood pressure.
● "Systemic inflammation- More severe forms of COVID-19 can result in injury to multiple 
organs and multiorgan failure"  (Bansal)
● “Acute myocardial injury can result due to an impaired myocardial oxygen demand-supply 
relationship” (Bansal)
● Acute myocardial infarction can result due to several associated factors e.g. plaque rupture, 
coronary thrombosis and inflammation (Bansal)
- Infarction refers to the death of tissue due to lack of blood flow
● "Electrolyte imbalances- occur in critical systemic illness and precipitate arrhythmias, esp. in 
patients with underlying cardiac disorder." (Bansal)
Clinical Implications 
The impact of the therapies and drugs used to treat cardiovascular diseases/conditions 
must be thoroughly evaluated when treating COVID-19 patients so as not to 
exacerbate or act as a precursor to acute heart damage in CVD patients. The 
interactions of the drugs used to treat COVID-19 and pre-existing or underlying heart 
conditions must also be considered in retrospect. (Bansal)
Laboratory Learning Model: Arrhythmia Heart Pump
● Fill the jar half full of water.
● Cut the neck of the balloon off at the part where it starts to widen into a balloon. Set the neck part aside.
● Stretch the balloon over the opening of the jar, pulling it down as tightly as you can. The flatter you can 
get the surface of the balloon, the better.
● Carefully use the tip of a skewer to poke two holes in the surface of the balloon. Make them about an inch 
apart from each other and near opposite edges of the jar.
● Stick the long part of a straw into each hole. The straws should fit securely in the holes so no air can get 
through around the straws.
● Slide the uncut end of the balloon neck onto one of the straws and tape it around the straw.
● Set your pump in a large pan or the sink to catch the pumped water. Bend the straws downward. Gently 
press in the center of the stretched balloon and watch what happens to the water in the jar.
a. Tap the balloon at a pace of 2 beats per second until you reach 100. This represents Tachycardia. 
Watch how fast the water is moving. The chaos here represents the state of the heart. Tachycardia 
can increase risk of stroke, heart failure and can be life-threatening.
b. Tap 60 times slowly at a speed of 1 beat per second. This represents bradycardia. When left 
untreated bradycardias can also be life-threatening
- a & b are Arrhythmia representations I added on to the experient so Arrhythmias can be studied in the 
classroom using a hands-on model 
According to  www.homesciencetools.com; How To Make A Heart Pump Science Project
Works Cited
Arrhythmia. Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. (n.d.). 
https://www.heartandstroke.ca/heart-disease/conditions/arrhythmia#:~:text=Arrhythmia%20may%20cause%20your%20heart,cause%20unc
oordinated%20contractions%20(fibrillation). 
Clerkin KJ;Fried JA;Raikhelkar J;Sayer G;Griffin JM;Masoumi A;Jain SS;Burkhoff D;Kumaraiah D;Rabbani L;Schwartz A;Uriel N; (n.d.). 
COVID-19 and Cardiovascular Disease. Circulation. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32200663/.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - WHO. (n.d.). 
https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200321-sitrep-61-covid-19.pdf.
Disseminated Intravascular Clotting. Disseminated Intravascular Clotting - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (n.d.). 
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/disseminated-intravascular-clotting#:~:text=Dis
seminated%20intravascular%20coagulation%20(DIC)%20is,coagulation%20factors%20with%20clinical%20bleeding.
Glicksman, H., 9, J., & Howard GlicksmanDr. Howard Glicksman practices palliative medicine for a hospice organization. He is the author of 
“The Designed Body” series for Evolution News. (2015, July 9). Cardiovascular Function: The Heart Follows the Rules. Evolution News. 
https://evolutionnews.org/2015/07/how_the_heart_f/.
Home. How to Make a Pumping Heart Model: A Science Project + Lesson. (n.d.). 
https://www.homesciencetools.com/article/how-to-make-a-heart-pump-science-project/.
Works Cited
Levi, M., van der Poll, T., & Schultz, M. (2012, January). Systemic versus localized coagulation activation contributing to organ 
failure in critically ill patients. Seminars in immunopathology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3233660/.
Li B;Yang J;Zhao F;Zhi L;Wang X;Liu L;Bi Z;Zhao Y; (n.d.). Prevalence and impact of cardiovascular metabolic diseases on 
COVID-19 in China. Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society. 
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32161990/.
M;, B. (n.d.). Cardiovascular disease and COVID-19. Diabetes & metabolic syndrome. 
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32247212/.
M;, X. T. Y. R. S. P. B. C. (n.d.). Coronaviruses and the cardiovascular system: acute and long-term implications. European heart 
journal. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32186331/.
Marcel M Levi, M. D. (2021, May 7). Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC). Background, Pathophysiology, Etiology. 
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/199627-overview.
Works Cited
Thrombosis. Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/thrombosis.
Types. Stanford Health Care (SHC) - Stanford Medical Center. (2017, September 11). 
https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/blood-heart-circulation/ventricular-arrhythmia/types.html.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Conduction Disorders. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. 
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/conduction-disorders.
Zhou F;Yu T;Du R;Fan G;Liu Y;Liu Z;Xiang J;Wang Y;Song B;Gu X;Guan L;Wei Y;Li H;Wu X;Xu J;Tu S;Zhang Y;Chen H;Cao B; 
(n.d.). Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort 
study. Lancet (London, England). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32171076/. 


The Effects of COVID-19 on Heart Function

The topic of this paper is to investigate how and why Mars lost its water. It is important to study the loss of water on Mars because it can give us a better understanding of how Mars once looked, if life were possible, and how it could have changed so drastically to what it is now. The paper aims to address which factors led to Mars losing its water and how long ago this happened. Using our data, we will predict how quickly Mars’ core cooled, when its magnetic field weakened, and when the water was lost. We learned that solar energy attributed to the planet’s atmospheric loss after the magnetic field around Mars weakened

Akhter, Sana

Beikircher, Andre

How and Why Mars Lost its Water

Handely, Lauren

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 44 
Number 1 Fall 2021 Article 70 
Fall 12-1-2021 
The Willow 
Lauren Handely 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Handely, Lauren (2021) "The Willow," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 44 : No. 1 , Article 70. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss1/70 
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. 
The Willow                             Lauren Handely
Wispy willows wind through thorny trails, thick with thistle, with 
the exception of one that encroaches on the lakeshore. The leaves of 
this sole invader droop low, and stroke the water’s surface. It’s as 
if their own weight had become too burdensome for the branches 
they cling to.
Beneath this tree rests a woman, hunched over, with long hair that 
slumps past her chest. It mimics the willow leaves, as it too reaches 
downward for the water. However, the strands of black opt for a 
different target, a leatherbound book that the woman clutches with 
both hands.
The ancient leather is wounded in many places, its internals are not 
much better. The pages, thoroughly soaked, cling to one another, 
as if their lives depend on their closeness. From their corners, water 
still drips, steadily like a watch tick.
The woman gazes downward. Her damp lashes, one still cradling 
a lone tear, are like a drop of morning dew, sleeping amongst the 
grass. She traces invisible lines in the cover, passing over the faded 
title of the book.
Most of the distinguishing marks had long since worn off, leaving 
only the imprints of wear and time to identify it. In this way it is not 
dissimilar to a child’s first stuffed bear, aging only in deterioration, 
as the child grows.
It would be less of a shame, if the book had been only a toy bear, 
and not the woman’s diary. Fabric could be put out to dry, paper 
not so much. There would be no saving the drowned memories, 
now forever sealed inside the mess of fused paper. A single mistake 
has erased over a decade of her life. The words of her former self 
would never again see the light of day.
The woman had hoped to keep them for eternity, and she knew one 
day her own mind would fail her. The paper would hold onto the 
parts of her past that threatened to slip through the cracks in her 
head.
71
1
Handely: The Willow
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2021
Where all the poets went to die... 
Photo Composite.  Natalie McKenty
Wordlessly, she rises to her feet. Her willow hair blows back in the 
wind with the motion. Her gaze passes from the beloved book to 
out across the water. The scent of decaying plant life and aquatic 
creatures worms its way into her awareness.
The ocean was always the most romantic of the family of water. 
There was only the scent of salt that blew in across the endless blue. 
However, this is not the case for his younger sibling.
The lake reeks of death, and his unkempt shores yield not shells, 
but bloated carp and tangles of algae. Even still, the willow leaves 
come to lie gently on his skin, trusting in the reservoir of decay.
The woman clutches the journal close to her chest, close enough 
it could feel her heartbeat. Then she takes it into one hand, and 
hurls it as far as her frail arm allows. For a moment she expects it 
to skip like a stone, perhaps held afloat momentarily by beloved 
memories, but it does not. It sinks, suddenly and silently, below the 
surface.
The willow shivers, night air agitating the sleepy leaves. The 
woman feels the same chill run through her. Night air moves in, as 
she watches the remaining daylight begin to bleed out into dusk.
      
72
2
The Prairie Light Review, Vol. 44, No. 1 [2021], Art. 70
https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss1/70


The Willow

Titus, Tito

The Prairie Light Review 
Volume 44 
Number 1 Fall 2021 Article 74 
Fall 11-1-2021 
When I was a fireman 
Tito Titus 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr 
Recommended Citation 
Titus, Tito (2021) "When I was a fireman," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 44 : No. 1 , Article 74. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol44/iss1/74 
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. 
When I was a fireman
 
A shovel on my shoulder,
         I followed a greasy yellow D-9 Cat.
                     Its blade scraped rocky ridgelines;
the diesel roared, steel tracks shrieked.
                       
Wildfire raged below, forty feet per flame,
         climbed up full-tilt toward
our craggy hogback
while the D-9 and I
 
stripped away burnable life,
eradicated foliage, bunch grass,
that could carry flames
                     across the windy ridgetop.               
 
Midnight flames glowed in the gully below,
         grass smoke stretched gray
in firelight like wraiths warning:
here comes the big burn.
 
After a twenty-four hour shift,
I slept beneath a two-ton truck,
         baked in its oily shade, thirsty, tired,
ate cold stew from a military can,
 
excited, ready to go home or fight wildfire,
whichever—it didn’t matter;
I was sixteen, making good money,
yet afraid to be a man.
 
Sixty years later: seas of flames—firestorms—
sweep Siberia, Australia, California, Oregon,
                     British Columbia, the world,
and this valley of orchards.
 
My history prepared me for this,
         but I’m still not ready.
     - Tito Titus
1
Titus: When I was a fireman
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2021


College of DuPage

Not a member yet