Cardinal Sins Volume 29, Issue 1 The fine arts and literature magazine of Saginaw Valley State University 7400 Bay Road University Center, MI 48710 www.svsu.edu/cardinalsins Produced by the students and staff of Saginaw Valley State University and published on campus by the Graphics Center, Cardinal Sins features art, photography, poetry, and prose by members of the SVSU community, including alumni. All submissions are considered for publication. Selection is made by blind voting of the staff, who are excluded from receiving an award in any category. Cardinal Sins uses Adobe InDesign. This issue features MyriadPro and American Typewriter fonts. Copyright 2009, Cardinal Sins. All subsequent publishing rights revert to the artists. Cover designed by Nicole Vlisides. SVSU does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical impairment, disability or veteran status in the provision of education, employment and other services. Cardinal Sins Editor-in-Chief Amelia Glebocki Editorial Staff Charles Davenport Beth Erbacher Noah Essenmacher Chris Giroux Emily Krueger Kirsten McIlvenna Kelly Mundt Tracy Thiel Tim Windy Business Manager Alex Soares Web Manager Trevor Baranek Academic Adviser Peter Brian Barry Administrative Support Patricia Latty Sharon Opheim Table of Contents Editor’s Note...................................................................................................................8 Black & White Artwork The Battle Cassandra Birchmeier...........................................................................14 A Beautiful Disaster Cassandra Birchmeier........................................................45 *Death and His Pale Horse Robert Darabos......................................................40 Black & White Photography Lily 2 Samantha Prud’Homme...............................................................................20 *Second Skin Nicole Pfeiffer...................................................................................49 Shadows on St. Stanislaus Jamie Wendorf........................................................64 Slaughter Shop Jeffrey Levin.................................................................................57 Still Movement Tiler Bacon......................................................................................35 Wretched Jeffrey Levin.............................................................................................26 Color Artwork *Aleydis Renee Adler.................................................................................................33 Beauty Is Perfection Renee Adler.........................................................................43 Burning Pipeline Katherine Karnes......................................................................17 Fail Alexander T. Danks.............................................................................................70 Fly Renee Adler...........................................................................................................29 The Re-Explanation of Wasp Kevin Lee..............................................................18 Color Photography Corner at the Mirage Hotel (Vegas) Kevin Lee.................................................30 Fleurs Christina Van Poucker...................................................................................59 How to Talk: A Complex Illusion Kevin Lee.......................................................69 I Dream in '80s Nicole Pfeiffer.................................................................................44 *Small Town Story Adam Baudoux.......................................................................60 29 Weeks Nicole Pfeiffer............................................................................................34 Flash Fiction *Exfoliation Blair Giesken........................................................................................21 Running through Wind Brandy Abraham..........................................................31 Step-42 Brandy Abraham .......................................................................................65 Villains Peter Brian Barry .........................................................................................71 Poetry Blue Collar Ashton M. Jurek....................................................................................16 Cows Eat Their Afterbirth Sarah Wangler...........................................................28 Cracks in the Concrete Matthew Falk.................................................................27 **Easter Sunday Josh Crummer.............................................................................73 Familiar Scent of a Passerby Holly Bird...............................................................47 Fool's Gold Rachel Wooley......................................................................................19 Frida Kahlo: The Little Deer Matthew Falk..........................................................42 Hide and Go Seek Lauren Meck............................................................................41 Inside My Jar Blair Giesken.....................................................................................62 Matthew Christopher Applin..................................................................................48 May Trees Sarah Wangler..........................................................................................61 *My Mother's Hands Whitney A. Ricker..............................................................15 On Dating the Same Woman (Again) Josh Crummer....................................46 Our Tender Bellies Are Wrapped in Baling Wire Sarah Wangler.................63 Zilwaukee School Playground Josh Crummer.................................................58 Short Fiction Disenchantment Brandy Abraham.......................................................................22 Market Jennika Bouverette.....................................................................................36 Porcelain Kirsten McIlvenna......................................................................................9 *Voyeurs Jacob Ferrier...............................................................................................50 Creative Nonfiction Sucking Out My Identity Holly Bird.....................................................................67 Biographies..................................................................................................................75 Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................79 Benefactor Information............................................................................................80 Submission Information...........................................................................................82 *Congratulations to the winners in their respective categories. **Congratulations to the winner of the Fall 2009 Cardinal Sins Poetry Slam. E d i t o r ’s N o t e As your typical firstborn, I have always been known as "the responsible one." So when I took up the mantle of editor, it wasn't without an understanding of the responsibilities and difficulties that lay ahead. I spoke frequently with former editors and joined a local press as an editorial intern in order to gain additional experience before the time came to assemble this issue of Cardinal Sins. If only all that had been enough to prepare me for the level of experience demanded by this position. I found myself accountable for others, as well as in charge of negotiating disputes among those involved. At times, I felt incredibly overwhelmed. If not for good friends, a whole lot of caffeine, and the music of Fiona Apple, I would quite possibly have run away to Oz long ago. I am very thankful to everyone who took the time to remind me that there's no place like home—which, this semester, was the Sins office in Curtiss Hall. As the semester ends, I am ready for whatever editorial tornadoes come my way in the future. I have a greater sense of what exactly I am responsible for now. Until then, be kind to me or treat me mean. I'll the most of it. I'm an extraordinary machine. Amelia Glebocki 8 Cardinal Sins Fall 2009 E d i t o r ’s N o t e Porcelain by Kirsten McIlvenna It is night. There is a cool breeze. The ferris wheel creaks in the wind. The scent of cotton candy looms. A crumpled napkin blows by. A young girl sits, alone, on a porcelain horse with pink hair. She sucks her thumb and imagines the carousel is actually spinning. An older man with a black hat spots her and runs towards her from across the way. The girl screams “Nooo!” and grips the pole tightly. He continues to pursue her. A dark cloud moves in. Nearby a woman wearing a black rain coat sees this. She lifts her gun and in reaction shoots the man. He falls, face first, his hand clutching his heart. Just as this happens, a carnival worker turns the corner just in time to see the woman fire. He then tackles the woman, and her head slams onto the concrete. The man with the black hat sips his last breath, blood making a pool around him as the child continues to scream. Blood pours from the woman’s head and a look of horror shines from her cold eyes as she drifts off to oblivion. Rain falls from the sky and washes red down the sidewalk and down the drain. The carnival worker passes out from the sight of blood. The child continues to scream. Charlie The life of working at the carnival isn’t ever too fun.