Students from Jane Thielsen’s writing 242 Poetry class submitted their works to The Broadside for publication.

An Island of Time

by Mary Nelson

In that brief space between Friday and Monday –

An island of time reserved to sweep my mind clear

Of the debris that restrains me,

I choose to go to the river.

Just now, the beginning of fall –

A season marked with brilliantly colored death:

Maples, Aspens, wild currant

And even the conifer Tamaracks –

All saturated in a yellow-orange-red salute

To the startling blue sky between them;

And the wild rose hips drip blood-red

Into the clear spring-fed river

Where spent Kokanee gather in small shallow eddies

Formed by fallen trees –

Their once flaming red flanks now faded gray and black

They struggle against the current & nature

That dictates their brief island of time

Between life and death in their river:

They have no choice.

Changing the Nightmare

By Katie McClintic

Darkness surrounds me

But the prickle across the back of my neck

Tells me that he’s near

Then the screaming begins

And quickly my heart rate jumps

And my fear spikes

Then with a flash, everything is vivid and clear

I begin to run

And as usual he chases me

I dodge forward, gradually recognizing what seems to be never-ending pillars

But I know there comes an end

Because I’ve been here before

If I reach it

This will all end with a harsh bang

And it will all start over again

So I stop and so does he

I speak those simple words that will break this spell

“This is just a dream”

Instantly the world around me vanishes

A blank slate

Because here…

I control EVERYTHING