Wordplay
by Alex Harrington ’19
We are more than pleased to share the first installment of this year’s creative writing spotlight. Our October feature comes from Sam Greenstein ’19. Sam is a senior Creative Writing major who hails from Minnetonka, Minnesota. They are passionate about making creative work that both challenges the reader and lets them know that they aren’t alone. They moonlight as a student manager at the Macalester library and as a research assistant for Professor Penelope Geng. They like hanging out and cooking at the Veggie Co-op as well as sticking their tongue out at drivers who don’t yield to them at crosswalks. They peaked this past summer when they were featured in a Star Tribune Minnesota State Fair photo spread posing in front of the Insane Clown Posse portrait inside the Rock Star Funhouse.
Enjoy these poems by Sam!
Isaac (Bound)
And after those things happened the god tested Abraham and he said to him Abraham and he said here I am and he said go take your son your only son who you love Isaac and go to the land of Moriah and burn him as a sacrifice upon the mountain that I said to you and Abraham got up in the morning and mounted his donkey and took two boys with him and Isaac his son and he chopped wood for the sacrifice and he got up and he walked to the place that the god said to him and in the third day Abraham strained his eyes and saw the place from afar and Abraham said to his boys sit here with the donkey and I and the boy will walk over there and we will pray and come back to you and Abraham took his wood for the sacrifice and strapped it to Isaac his son and he took the fire and the knife in his hand and the two walked together and Isaac said to Abraham his father my father and he said here I am my son and he said I have the wood and the fire but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?
Bound (Isaac)
Sacrifice the for lamb the is where but fire the and wood the have I said he and son my am I here said he and father my father his Abraham to said Isaac and together walked two the and hand his in knife the and fire the took he and son his Isaac to it strapped and sacrifice the for wood his took Abraham and you to back come and pray will we and there over walk will boy the and I and donkey the with here sit boys his to said Abraham and afar from place the saw and eyes his strained Abraham day third the in and him to said god the that place the to walked he and up got he and sacrifice the for wood chopped he and son his Isaac and him with boys two took and donkey his mounted and morning the in up got Abraham and you to said I that mountain the upon sacrifice a as him burn and Moriah of land the to go and Isaac love you who son only your son your take go said he and am I here said he and Abraham him to said he and Abraham tested god the happened things those after and
I a ( )
And and he
Abraham and he I and your your son who
Isaac and and burn as a
And Abraham and
And Isaac his
Sacrifice and and the place that god
Saw and Abraham
And I the boy there
Pray to you Abraham wood sacrifice
And Isaac said I
Am the lamb
Isaac (#5)
And after those things happened the god texted Abraham and he said to him Abraham and he said wink emoji and he said go take your son your only son who you love Isaac and go to the Dairy Queen down Snelling and burn him as a sacrifice upon the frier and Abraham got up in the morning and unlocked the Buick and took two boys with him and Isaac and brought oil for the sacrifice and he got up and he drove to the place that god told him about and on the third day Abraham strained his eyes and saw the highway exit from afar and Abraham said to his boys sit in the Buick and I and the boy will walk over there and we will pray and come back to you and Abraham took his oil for the sacrifice and strapped it to Isaac his Son and he took the lighter and the buns and the two walked together and Isaac said to Abraham his father my father and he said here I am my son and he said I have the lighter and the buns but where is the hotdogs for the sacrifice
Isaac (Fallen)
And if where you are now my father god donkey boys my sacrifice how will you jump too?
Isaac (Redux)
And after those things happened the lamb tested the god and the god said to him Abraham? and the lamb said to him baa and the god said Isaac? And the lamb said to him baa and the god said Donkey? Wood? Fire? Knife? Sorry you must have the wrong number and the lamb hangs up the phone