Dravyn C. Geoff

Hyperbole

Dravyn C. Geoff

I will ask you the most terrifying question of your life! I will make you confront the void and the limitations of existence. I will kill you dead with the existential potential. And the suspense of the answer is you. I will slap you with the horror of meaning, And all the wrongness. I will steal the thunder and leech conviction. I will make you question the frigid pleading for approval, The dread of separation. I will make you gnaw on the bone of failure. I will savage the flavor at fingertips and make it turn to dust. I can’t offer recognition, just the respect for the knife in the back. I will spin you in hysterics before you pick your bags back up. I offer you, you. You can fall through the music and say this is all. You can look through the almond eyes of the unconditional, And share insanity with a breath. I offer the throne of imagination’s laurel. You are the best, you are the worst! I will stop your heart and flutter your eyes. I offer a feast upon the beast in the shadows. I offer the unshackling of infinite doors, A game of Hide and Seek. Contained within this question is the freedom From its antithesis, Without leaving the comfort of your niche. I offer every answer dancing upon the pinhead of madness.

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I offer the anticlimactic crest-fall that saturates with time’s fulfillment. This question is the intangible mission, The motivation of motion. It’s circles upon circles that underlies everything yet is never confronted in its simple glory. We never have time To stop and ponder the magnitude and the miserable truth. This question will leave you a smoldering husk of deflated rearrangement. This question metamorphizes with alignment and adapts with expectations, Tearing into the wellspring of you and whose answer wells tears. This question deserves a holiday and every day. This question is the humanity we share. It is the staggering punchline that leaves you nowhere. It is an avalanche, and you are the snowball. It is the majesty and fear and liberation and suckling. It’s really disregarded as foolery yet is the artery feeding all other questions, The nerve of vulnerability, the buffooned face of, OH that pummels us at separate times. Its avoidance is our undoing, The exact opposite of common sense! Its suppression is zillions of excuses for death. Now, to get it, you’ll have to work for it. You must follow the trail to the end To get it. You have to put in to get out. But the question is begging for you! If you’re ready, I’ll finally divulge this key to your kingdom. The hype is really overrated, But what do you really want?

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Contributors

Stephanie C.

Stephanie is finishing her last couple semesters at A-B Tech before transferring and obtaining a bachelor's degree in child development psychology.

Chloe M. Cooke

Chloe Cooke is a multimedia artist who primarily works in mixed media paintings. She plans to receive her Associate in Fine Arts in the spring of 2022. She then plans to attend Appalachian State for her Bachelors Degree in Graphic Design. In her free time, she likes to create and sell her own products like stickers and prints (@chloemcooke.art).

Cannon Roxanne Crawford-Wilson

Within the changing shifts of her life, Cannon's encounter with art has become radically reformed and diversified. A 19-year-old contemporary artist, she is consistently looking to explore concepts and creations that make her feel autonomous and free. She is passionate about art and design, art history, subversive fashion, and connection to the natural world.

Laura Dame

Laura Dame is a former A-B Tech student currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in English at Furman University in South Carolina. Her work is also featured in the 2020 and 2021 editions of The Rhapsodist.

Dr. Matthew E. Deibler

Dr. Deibler is an adjunct instructor in the T-Step program through TEACCH at UNC and in ACA-122, 115. He enjoys writing poetry, short fiction, drama, and journalism.

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Nate Fleming

Nate Fleming is a writer and international educator, having taught in a variety of international schools in Central Asia and China over the last twenty years. He's currently on sabbatical this year and is enjoying being in Asheville and teaching ELA at A-B Tech.

Andrew R. Gentry

Andrew is 74, a life long social justice activist, a sometimes-poet, storyteller, essayist, and cancer patient.

Dravyn C. Geoff

Diagnosed Schizoaffective Bipolar 1 type, Dravyn has tasted true psychosis and, with modern medicine, returned.

Leah G. Goodman

Leah is a 20-year-old student at A-B Tech who is working toward an Associate's Degree in Art with an English Pathway and plans to transfer to UNCA as an English major.

Christina Farrell Hendriks

Christina is originally from Columbia, SC. She graduated from Irmo in 2000 and was accepted to SCAD but wasn't able to attend, unfortunately. She ended up studying history and sociology but still takes pictures occasionally for fun. She has also interned at George Fulton Studios and done gallery work.

Eric T. Jorgensen

Eric is a chef. He writes at points in his life. His cats think he has potential and a need for an editor.

Erin Mastandrea

Erin Mastandrea studied creative writing at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. She made her home in Asheville 16 years ago and is currently studying Human Services. She can often be found wandering in the woods.

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Bronwen G. McCormick

Bronwen works in the Culinary department as an Instructor and Lab Manager. She spends her free time in the amazing WNC outdoors and attempts to do them justice in watercolor.

Ivan Melchor

Ivan Melchor is a part-time student at A-B Tech and writes poetry and short fiction.

Gloria E. Melo-Estrada

Gloria Estrada is a visual artist who works in multiple media. She is pursuing an Associate's Degree in Fine Arts.

Grayson W. Molinari

Grayson Molinari is taking a creative writing course at A-B Tech and has written a dialogue story for one of her works.

Rory Moon

Rory Moon is a full-time student at A-B Tech who is aspiring to become a freelance artist. He works in a variety of mediums including traditional illustration, digital animation, photography, collage, and jewelry.

April E. Morris

April Morris is a full-time student, retired veteran, and mother pursuing a degree in fine arts.

Heidi Linnea Pastor

Heidi is an Administrative Assistant at A-B Tech Madison. She enjoys creating art as a hobby, and working with clay is her favorite medium.

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David Pereda

David Pereda is the award-winning author of twelve novels, short stories, articles, and poems. He is an Adjunct Instructor of Math and ELA. Copies of his latest novel, The Wall -a book inspired by the poignant stories about coming to America shared by his undocumented students-are available at the A-B Tech bookstore and the library.

Georgina Provencio Martinez

Georgina Provencio Martinez is a fourth-year Early College student. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and her thoughts and ideas from a young age. Her future goals include graduating, publishing her own book, and flying. She is inspired by the world around her, her past experiences, and most importantly her family.

Mark Damon Puckett

Mark Damon Puckett is an Asheville writer, artist and musician with three books of fiction. Fun facts: he has been to all 50 states, attended a boarding school in England, studied Joyce and Orwell at Oxford, run a film festival in Connecticut, and worked on Fifth Avenue as a Travel Editor. Read more about his writing and art at markdamonpuckett.com.

Juan Pablo Roa

Juan Pablo Roa is a pilgrim of sorts.

Zainab Sayed

Zainab Sayed is a full-time student who previously did not write poetry, but apparently does all the time now.

Jennah Sekaz

Jennah Sekaz is a fine arts student at A-B Tech with a full time barista job. She aspires to become a visual artist with a concentration in portrait drawings and paintings. When she is not creating art or serving lattes, she is rollerblading, reading, or spending time with her cat.

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Elizabeth Shirley

Elizabeth Shirley is an English major and new to creative writing; this is her first short story.

Matteo James Tarantino

Matteo Tarantino is a full-time A-B Tech student who has passions for painting, photography, and filmmaking.

Jon R. Wiener

Jon is currently the Dean of Allied Health, and has been a scientist and musician his whole adult life, but has a long-buried dream in the back of his mind to write stories and books.

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Call for 2023 Submissions

ENG 125: Creative Writing

Interested in learning the craft of poetry, prose, and dramatic dialogue? Enroll in A-B Tech’s Creative Writing course!

The Rhapsodist will begin accepting submissions for our next issue in May 2022. Deadline: January 31, 2023.

Please visit our webpage:

abtech.edu/content/the-rhapsodist-literature-and-arts-journal

Send all other queries to rhapsodistjournal@gmail.com

Check out our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages for details (The Rhapsodist Literary Arts Journal).

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