Sisyphus by SLUH

Sisyphus Spring 2022 2 Blue Trowel, poetry by Nathan Rich 3 acrylic by Keegan Dow 5 Hand Study, graphite by Nathan Rich 8 Bridal Veil Falls, photograph by Miles Schulte

40 photograph by Miles Schulte 42 The Robin and I, poetry by Nathan Rich by Nathan Rich

12 Cobblestones in the City, photograph 51 Courage, digital by Nathan Rich

60 Dog, print by Charlie Bieg

64 Energy Throughout, photograph 27 The Vagabond, poetry by Carson Leahy

69 Down, digital by Nathan Rich

34 Blue Trane, acrylic by Nathan Rich by Owen Rittenhouse

80 pastel by Will Blaisdell

Blue Trowel Nathan Rich

Either way I, Cautiously Begin

painting Keegan Dow

Scorned Alex Preusser

The wife of a great industrialist had

While the husband was away signing docu

trialist, the greater his household, and the

down Mann Meat, she would be destroy

She honestly hadn’t been surprised

Today was the end of it all, the end of her easy relationship with Ernest, her personal

Hand Study

7’’ by 8’’ Graphite Nathan Rich Ida Beatty was waiting for her just in

through the second set of doors, which

great industrialist who is down to earth and

She could see the wheels turning in

striding further into the factory, sidestep

Clara stopped their little group in the

Ernest cried out, clutching his hand to

“Oh, this will be a perfect photograph,

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it to lose one part of your body than for your

“Ernest, why don’t you put it through

Clara couldn’t wait to see that photo

Bridal Veil FallS

photograph, Telluride, CO Miles Schulte

Half a Meter Nathan Pini

Finger on the guard,

photograph, Kazakh Yurt in Xinjiang, China Max Grellner

Confession Peter James Struggling to return

I try to interne

I try to discern

Only this concern

I hope for a position

This fearful disposition

Solemnity

digital Alex Deiters

CoBBleStone in tHe City photograph, New York, NY George Henken

When Where Who Frank Corley

T 13

when I was in college a lot of people were

Lincoln Tunnel because the Holland Tun

Born in the USA

a wonderful husband, the father of two girls

Wandering lower Manhattan, I found

the sandy, caustic sensation in your nostrils and a lot of the posters were taped to the pedestal and on the stone structures around

14 buildings, the fences along the streets of the

ings had collapsed, only about an hour or

day it happened, then to his secretary when

would read the signs, light candles that had

to reconnect with dear friends I had not seen

didn’t get to lose their brother as their broth world, along with the world on a stage to a

photograph, Mississippi River near Cliff Cave Park, MO Thomas Ziegler

CHromatiC ConFuSion photograph Jack Janson

They/Them Cody Cox

17 My body is placed under scrutiny

Despite all your contradictions

Forged in intense pressure In greater heat

Try to succeed

Manic Alex Preusser

H was just white walls, white sheets, and shiny

The gurney slowed to a stop, and he

ing at a steady pace as she pushed his gurney

“You’re safe, and that’s all you need to

a deep breath, closed his eyes, and listened to the gentle rattle of the gurney, the soft foot

He closed his eyes as the needle punc

He stared straight ahead, silently beg

not recall a single instance in which he en

white walls and the white sheets and the

down on his bed, closed his eyes, and let

S So he lay there, staring straight up into

Sitting in his bed, his white sheets on the white tiled floor, his eyes wide open, staring

he felt water beginning to pour into the tub

But he still shuddered at the thought of

water was scalding hot, but as she said, it

thing soothing about the steady rise of the Once on his feet, he followed her, hand

He wondered what was on the other side of

Day after day of pills and injections and baths and white walls and white sheets

stead, two rows of white bathtubs sat along

said the nurse, pulling his hand toward the

shadows

oday’s going to be a little different, dar

self, oddly at ease despite the fact that her

but it was the uncertainty of his present situ

during the night, he had the defense of cry

21 a prisoner in his body, allowed only to let his

Berzerker

8.5’’ by 11’’ Graphite Alex Deiters

Not Listening Tim Browdy

I watch you, hearing I hear you, watching Complaints of an aunt who killed an uncle, Who killed an aunt who killed an uncle… Spoken words but I’m having trouble seeing Bizarre visions but you’re speaking too loud

So why did she kill him? Because you’re not listening Wow, cool story… Have you listened to much Picasso lately?

karkinoS

8.5’’ by 11’’ Pen and Ink Will Blaisdell

Socks Madhavan Anbukumar

Slowly, suddenly, I feel cold,

Now that accursed, horrid, terrible hole,

no longer sweaty, Now,

digital Jesse Heater

Oh Leo Jack Janson

I local tall boy with curly hair and big bushy

Does he like me or not? And if he does, why isn’t he showing it?

turned to the party, there he was sitting on

The Vagabond Carson Leahy

trailer Park traSH 3’ by 3’ Acrylic Alex Deiters

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot 28

Madhavan Anbukumar

Swing low, sweet chariot,

Swing low, sweet chariot, The doctor is here,

Swing low, sweet chariot,

Apsis Alex Preusser

S 29

HoPPer’S alley 3’ by 3’ Acrylic Leo Smith

She was by far the youngest one in the

was just the little sister, three years younger

down at a little table along a wall, watching

would be happy here, the sun with a whole new

No longer was she Mercury, as close as one

ing curls and the group already surrounding

Since she didn’t answer right away, he

etched with the beginnings of crows’ feet,

It wasn’t until she was falling to the ground that she registered the object in his row strip of faint light along the base of the

She was nearly there when her foot

She half crawled, half ran to the shed,

Blue trane

5’’ by 7’’ acrylic Nathan Rich

Crown Alex Preusser

of jewel and gold Etched

Each day a burden, a weight More constricting than a noose More concealing

built upon lies and deceit

So day by day

You Can Only Dream 36

Aidan Pike

Footsteps wander and caloojulate throughout,

Maybe a narzuwhitz, but all return in search,

CtHulHu’S CouSinS digital Alex Deiters

ceramic Thomas Nguyen

Imperfection Found Me Out Jude Reed Quietly disguised as loud

I was holding down the fort all right

I can tell you I tried

Bullets of Life Aidan Pike

39 Spiraling towards their silhouette,

Life isn’t funny, but serious yet,

Bloodshed we undergo

threats, Kids die young, parents grow old,

photograph, Tower Grove Park Max Grellner

photograph Miles Schulte

The Robin and I Nathan Rich

42 a tufted robin raised his eyes,

of golden dawns and cloudless days

and how he swooped and soared and sang

without an end,

but nothing of the fear and ire

So day by day, I then began

PHantaSmal PeaCe

5’’ by 7’’ Pencil and Digital Nathan Rich

ceramic Luke Pierson

Jude Reed

he human race was dying out. The sound of shattering glass rang

No one left to scream and shout.

People walking on the moon. His projectile, another patron of the Smog’ll get you pretty soon.

Behind the window of the cafe, he felt safe enough to spectate the altercation without

Who was legally responsible, who the felon,

No Parking, Fire Lane.

the stranger said, pulling a worn briefcase her grandson at a table near the entrance, a

Dear God, French thought, what IS he?

traCkS leFt BeHind

photograph, Lewis and Clark Bridge in Alton, IL Nick Sanders

and purchasing all of the property he could

47 He probably eats those, French thought to Heh, yeah. He probably eats those. Right. chase, the relation alone raises the subject’s

in Chester, Illinois, where he decided to set

was front and center, presented on his face,

that would interest French for sure, but the stantly appearing as a specter, an absence of

real

Outside of the cafe, across the street cultists! Isn’t trespassing just a deplorable

I’m tha one they gotta be afraid of, French sight with his and noticed the shifty indi

French towards what could be described as

holes for eyes, and two that appeared to be French turned the street corner and was located in downtown Chester, but the with the oddity and began to sweat into the

“Low interest rates for returning cus

was perfectly aligned with his, and inside was

The Quest Frank Kovarik

Well, then you’d do well to listen

To the fact that there’s an absence,

You’re not at your best,

It’s that feeling that you carry

It’s that attitude of good will It’s that truth that you aren’t seeing

Courage

8.5’’ by 11’’ digital Nathan Rich

Papa Hemingway Has a Heart-to-Heart with Antaeus 52

Rich Moran “When I lie on the ground

To rub myself with sand That is operative As an elixir.”

During his many sleepless nights, Ernest Hemingway sought to keep peace with himself

deep holes, and the clear shallow stretches, sometimes catching trout and sometimes losing

By night thoughts, turn toward the mise en scène

CHarlie’S JammieS 11’ by 13’ watercolor Joan Bugnitz

“Take a lesson from the ground.”

“Inside the tent the light came through the brown canvas. It smelled pleasantly of canvas. Already there was something mysterious and homelike. Nick was happy as he crawled in

The fridge to its left, the telephone on its little perch,

Turn east to face the swinging door, now propped open

living

SelF Portrait Mixed Media Jack Janson

First Love Bill George

we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in

against the edge of the counter to separate

She touched the tip of her tongue ten The house was twice the size of our

she were afraid of being stung, but then she

cherry popsicle against the counter to sepa Ozzie and Harriet.

word conspiracy describe the confusion I felt for being reject

against the storefront, each of us eating one

collie, whose wagging tail suggested I had

watched her go, I lingered on the corner with

57 two laughed uproariously as she read, “I like school very mush. My best friend is Paula Winston. I like her very mush.

ruined it with hopes that she not only would

that he could study for college, and the front

Bobby Calore, he pushed her to win the last

The chairs had been pushed to the corners

Hail Marys, one for our parents, one for our bishop, and one for all Sisters of Mercy, Sister

59 sound by clattering her large wooden rosary

building again and then hushed when Sister

monkey BuSineSS

tried, I couldn’t will her to turn her head to

photograph, St. Louis Zoo Nick Sanders

dog

8’’ by 4’’ block print Charlie Bieg

Pride Mark Faulkner

Ignorance is bliss and innocence is just ignorance, While I sit, I write these lines on the fence,

I got so used to it, but it started as a trend,

But would I be called a sellout or

Grandma’s Wok 62

Cal Kreuter

once stowed away

in their steady

i lila

block print Will Blaisdell

energy tHrougHout

photograph, model Courtney Lucas Jack Janson

Come Join Us Nathan Rich

fication popped up on the cybernet

Morgan closed his eyes and pictured

whipping in his face as he felt the cold sur

Well, this seems like something that would happen today

He opened his eyes and realized he still

It’s not like I have a whole lot to lose right now, he

If the world wasn’t ending soon, I should probably see a therapist

turned in his chair again to listen to a con

continue with business as usual for the rest of the

The promotions only for three months now

How did that idiot get promoted over me? silently ate his instant noodles, saying and

FINE!

panied only by the sound of the screen, the

parents clutching their two young children Fellow employees of sector 3 of the security division, I am sure you have seen the news. Yes, it may seem scary and shocking, but please do not let it interfere with your work. I have full faith in SciGov. They will not let anything happen to Administration workers like yourselves. Please,

He couldn’t help but say it out loud as

67 Eternity is Nice, us!

that so long as your body was protected in a

cial, Morgan was greeted by an ad he had

screen to see that he had been roped into a

went to Spain last year, that was pretty cool

the apocalypse began, Morgan felt a pit in his

Seriously, Morgan? Where have you been the past 30 years?

digital Nathan Rich Well, what about Morgan? gan had been so focused on learning about

istration was still putting on a show for the

bursts of intrusion into young Morgan’s life followed by days of silence at the dinner table had put a strain on his relationship

seconds later, they were plugged in, their life

had been a brief bright spot, but she called

his hand into the table and yelled at the top

M day on earth, he decided to pull up the blinds

it for the past few days and no one stopped

Shifting in his stool, Morgan reached

The surgery had been clean and rela

God this is sad, Morgan. You have to be the only person on this stupid planet who can’t think of anything.

doWn

digital Nathan Rich

Morgan reluctantly decided to choose

70 pointed up towards the asteroid, which was

Forever.

pushing a shopping cart down the center of

Inspired partially by the alcohol inside Stop, Morgan, you’re drunk, he thought to

just caused, the feeling of apathy returned to

Still liFe

19’’ by 20’’ pastel Nathan Rich

Homespun Cody Cox

I feel at peace Together

iF i WaS BottleS

20’’ by 24’’ acrylic Leo Smith

CloudS oVer PennSylVania photograph Owen Rittenhouse

The Final Draft Luke Duffy

75 He had a college degree and soon he would

She was a teacher, too, but she had a certain had always wanted to be a teacher, and edu

a particular subject and sure of where they

and future jobs, this story really resonates

played baseball, did well in all his classes, and fanatic, he had little idea what he wanted to

O flooded with fluorescent light, and a sec

just begun his second year of teaching at

stay where you are, and the twos will step

sending thousands of troops to their death at “Is there anything you can do to push

“The thing is, there’s a reason they do

should be able to celebrate the holidays with

77 The bar erupted with cheers as if Lou

When I hear this story, I can’t help but

High School, but his contract was up at the

suddenly realized he had to seize the rudder

was initially supposed to report to

and weren’t separated by the distance of war,

Cluttered taBle

charcoal and white pencil Gavyn McClure

Pie Cody Cox

SelF Portrait

Pastel Will Blaisdell

Sisyphus

Articles inside

Dog, print by Charlie Bieg