Caroline Liu, 10, "So Long"

Even from down the block, Este could still hear her mother’s pleading with her father, but it was too late. “Too late, too late. Too. Late,” she muttered to herself. Este had gone for a walk, even though it was just starting to rain, and she’d inevitably be clomping around in the mud, turning her dark-green shoes a disgusting shade of brown. She stopped at a friendly-looking park bench- not yet too damp from the rain. It was the perfect place to avoid studying for her history test. Then she heard it- an engine coming to life, a quick left turn, and a dream saying goodbye.

It had not even been one year since they first moved to Chicago, and her father had already left. Before they immigrated to the US, her mother had told her that they would leave at the first sign of trouble, but this was a lie. There were months of ‘trouble,’ but Mom continued to ignore it, even as they watched the protesters march down their street from the window, the military tanks that rolled after them, and soldiers opening fire on the crowd. It was only when one of their guns was pressed to her forehead, that her mother decided it was time to go. Two feet, armored in dark green sneakers her aunt had given her for her 15th birthday, braved the blood-caked soil, searching for something new.

Parting was easy, but living through was hard. “In America, you can do this, in America, you can do that,” but nowhere in her father’s hopeful words when they first reached the immigration offices could she sense the sad, cold truth, which she now knew: “In America, you can do this, if you have the money. In America, you can do that, if you speak their language. In America, you can do anything- if you fit their mold.”

Este watched as her father’s car flew by, her world becoming smaller with each passing second. It was almost like a piece of her left in that car. Not a piece of her that was tied to her father, she was never quite fond of him anyways, but perhaps, something else. It was her past. Summers filled with fresh fruit and giggling cousins. Days in the tropical heat, small beads of sweat pooled on her forehead. Even now, in cold Chicago’s winter breath, she could feel home, reaching out to grasp her hand.

The leaves could change, snow could fall, and her father could come back, but Este would continue to long for her past, where she wanted to be.

When she returned from her walk, Este was met with the dull sight of her history textbook, taunting her from the desk. Somewhere between its pages, thoughts became tattoos on a reeling mind. Parting was easy. Parting was quick. In America, life should have been easy. Happiness should have come quickly. Living through was so long. Forgetting herself was so long.

A note?

From the editors?

Oh boy!

Signature Staff 2023

A note (from the editors):

Thanks for reading The Signature 2023! We got some really great art in this edition. We hope you enjoyed these arts – we certainly did. Art is great. Especially when it's made by Lovett students! You guys should keep making art... so we can keep putting it in The Signature. Ok that's it. Bye!

Index

A: Maria Allmon (73)

B:

Leila Beaver (6)

Emory Black (67)

Maddie Boatright (64, 65)

Daley Bowman (58)

Anne Bost (8, 18)

Ava Brown (5, 50)

G:

Myers Green (34)

H:

Aiden Hahn (2, 38, 39)

Sterling Halad (20, 46, 53, 61)

Lia Heard (50)

Rayne Hicks (48, 49)

Spencer Hough (27)

C: Bennett Cauwenberghs (20)

Alex Chen (4)

Isabelle Cheroff (47)

D:

Corinne Davie (63, 67)

Maddy Demenkow (15, 29, 54, 55)

Isabella DeNapoli (66)

Nicholas Holland (62)

J:

Gabi Janis (35)

Davis Jones (25)

K:

Alicia Kim (21)

Elise Kuzniak (52)

L:

Tyler Lamberson (26, 60)

Christine Lee (10, 14, 19, 46)

Jillian Lee (9)

Mary Mitchell Lester (32)

Caroline Liu (44, 77, 78)

Preston Lusink (28)

M:

Trick Marshall (58)

Jennie Matos (65)

N:

Lauren Novellas (10, 25)

P:

Nastassja Panos (16)

Olivia Pryor (70)

R:

Ridley Richert (27)

Finny Roach (5, 40, 41)

Nick Roesel (72, 73)

Eva Rouland (45, 52)

Scarlett Rouland (54)

S:

Naya Saigal (3, 12, 13, 16, 17, 32)

Logan Schwartz (76)

Addison Scott (74)

Andres Sosa (22, 23)

Ansley Stibbs (3, 4, 42, 43, 56, 57)

Greyson Stratton (63, 74)

Wells Stribling (21)

V:

Anika Valia (17, 29)

Parker Vedell (66)

Ava Vinci (51, 70)

W:

Madison Walker (59)

Rayna Walkins (11, 55)

Kamryn Washington (71)

Caroline Wood (28)

Ella Williams (30, 31)

Lydia Wilson (12, 13)

Cleo Wynn (26, 51)