Alumni Creative Writing Contest Winners 2022

COVER ME

Alumni Creative Writing Contest Winner (3rd Place) Kaci Rigney

This world is evil, beyond care/ But God, You hear the humbl’st prayer/ Lord, in Your mercy, hear my plea/ The blood of Jesus cover me/ Deceitful is this heart of mine/ But I would clasp my hand in Thine/ Lord, in Your mercy, hear my plea/ The blood of Jesus cover me/ For willfulness of heart and mind/ O strip away the ties that bind/ Lord, in Your mercy, hear my plea/ The blood of Jesus cover me/ Though Satan at Your throne, accuse/ Your Way, Your Truth, Your Light I choose/ Lord, in Your mercy, hear my plea/ The blood of Jesus cover me

A Kyrielle

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TRAGEDY

Alumni Creative Writing Contest Winner (1 st Place) Sydney Aguas

The Greeks valued/ Comedy & Tragedy/ Calling it katharsis/ Ancient therapy

Humans find release/ In mimetic displays/ Extremes of pleasure and pain/ On theatrical replay

From a distance/ We play each part/ Feeling highs and lows/ Without our hearts

How easy it is /To turn from the task/ To only know life/ From behind a mask

The poignant lure/ Of this control/ Where joy and sorrow/ Can’t touch our souls

The Greeks understood/ Our inborn dichotomy/ Humanity bound within/ Comedy & Tragedy

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AND THE GLORY FELL

Alumni Creative Writing Contest Winner (2 nd Place) Abel Gonzalez

Vincent had an appointment at 4:30 p.m. His penchant for being early forced him to arrive over an hour before the meeting. He had hoped to use this time to gather his thoughts and calm his disquiet. After all, so much pressure had built up and he didn’t want his emotions to get the best of him; especially not with Pastor Daniel and especially not at the church. He parked his car in the rear lot facing away from the sanctuary. Sitting in his car, he reclined the seat back so that he could stretch a bit. Anxiously, he pulled back his fisted arms and let out a nervous growl. Heat shot through his body and joints as he released. Over the dashboard of his car he noticed the sun was descending towards its end. Its afternoon glare would force a flinch from most, but Vincent refused to look away; its gleam would die sooner or later.

Looking at his watch, it was only 3:44 p.m. Vincent was still wrestling with whether he should make his way to the office for the meeting. He surveyed the dirt field that met the end of the parking lot. It had always presented so many opportunities to him, the clay of could’ve been; a soccer field, a row of classes, or maybe a bigger building. His mind wandered over the tufts of grass buoying against the weight of earth and wasted potential.

Maybe now, he thought and with another impatient glance at his watch he was met with the grave truth; it was only 3:53 p.m. While it was still early, Vincent decided to make his way to the office. The church had two entrances. The first was for the general public. Right up front, pull the door, and just go inside entrance. The warm, smiling receptionist entrance. The second could not be more opposite. It was the no keys needed, touchpad sort of entrance. The private entry of the few, the elite. This was the entrance nearest him, a short few feet from where he had parked.

As a member of Pastor Daniel’s leadership team, Vincent was one of those few who entered in that second door. There had been a small amount of pride that accompanied the privilege because behind it was work to content with. But also, there were men waiting for him. Like Vincent, these men may have been tired from eight to twelve hours at work and another hour drive, but did so joyfully to do “the work.” Giving up a Saturday or a holiday, they tirelessly grappled over matters that would progress God’s work. In this, the constant was Pastor Daniel. His intellect and vision always served to ground the group. But that grounding.... READ THE REST IN OUR FULL ISSUE!

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