A Murder of Crows

by Daniel Gillespie

On a cold night in October, as winter draws ever closer

I take a walk into the forest all alone on fallen snow

When I stumble on a clearing, as the trees are disappearing

And sit down and look up peering at a branch on which a crow

Has landed for a time to sit and stare at me this crow

As he looks on me below

I step closer to the willow on which this fine black fellow

Has perched his feet to look and see the world I walk and know

I extend my hand engaging, but the bird I am enraging

As he flies away unchanging to the East I watch him go

The fine black coat upon his back flapping as he goes

This single lonely crow

I stand out there in the open on the winter ground so frozen

And ponder the crow’s own thoughts as he flies off through the snow

What was his motivation? Was there ever hesitation?

As he left his lofty station and was gone away this crow

What was he thinking in his bird brain as he went away this crow

And I thought I’ll never know

I sink down into the grass there like a sheep put out to pasture

And looking to the sky I rest in the night’s cosmic glow

The frost still lightly falling I hear a distant squalling

And see my friend, recalling how he left so long ago

Upon remembering the hours, it was not so long ago

That he left me there, this crow

I see him coming through the forest across the midnight darkness

And see many more have joined him; he is not alone, my crow

So many black birds bringing notes of macabre singing

And their tune a frightful ringing such like I have never known

The flood of fine black feathers coming like I’ve never known

As they advance patient and slow

They moved onward as a phantom, in an order far from random

As a single seamless ghost of darkened shadow as they go

I saw them ever closer and I sensed incoming danger

So I fled right from the murder, to escape the mass of crows

I took off through the forest, fleeing the murder of crows

My feet falling on the snow

I run faster onward running, each foot and step I’m stumbling

The branches in my path come faster, falling to the snow

On hand and knee I’m crawling, after untimely falling

 Their squalling, squawking calling, coming closer this I know

The birds will soon attack me and I will not leave I know

From this murder of crows

I see their black beaks glinting, as I look up at them squinting

Descending on my body, coming like the falling snow

Their beaks begin the biting, as I lie there in my writhing

I am trying to be fighting them, this mass murder of crows

This bird of night I followed off has killed me here my crow

Why me? I’ll never know

I lay there bleeding, dying, as the crows just take off flying

I know this is my deathbed with a blanket made of snow

I feel a peace descending as my life is at its ending

How I wish there were extending, but I fear it is not so

I wish to live and leave this scene but know it is not so

From the murder of crows

Hogwarts in Portland: Multnomah is my Home

by Laura Joy Griffith

Photo courtesy of
@multnomahu on Instagram

It is Thursday afternoon in Roger's Cafe.  I am sitting at one of the tables, humming along to John Mayer under my breath.  A pretty brunette is sitting on one of the couches, knitting an olive green hat.  A group of students is studying for an upcoming exam.  Another student, like me, is sitting by herself with her laptop.  The barista is on her phone, selecting music appropriate for the mood.  I peek out the doors into the JCA lounge.  It is quiet there, too, although several clusters of undergrad and graduate students are gathered around tables and on couches.  This afternoon, Multnomah is a peaceful place to be.

Soon it will be dinnertime, and students will start pouring through the lounge on their way to the cafeteria.  The cafe will probably empty out entirely, as even these students go to chow down on hamburgers, salad, and rice, possibly followed by an ice cream cone.  I will probably go home and share a dinner of hot pasta with my flatmate.  At this time of year, when the rain comes down like a fire hose, Multnomah is a cozy place to be.

At this point in the semester, we are stressing about midterms, getting excited about basketball, and beginning to feel comfortable in our friend groups.  At this point in the semester, we are starting to put the pieces together in our Gurney class, discovering the wonders a text can hold in our Pothen class, and struggling to remember all those chapter titles for Koivisto.  We may have nervous breakdowns and we may sit in our rooms, staring at our computer screens at two o'clock in the morning, but our professors, friends and RA's are there for us when we need them.  At this point in the semester, Multnomah is a good place to be.

This is my third year at Multnomah, and as I sit here watching my fellow students, I am glad to be here.  No matter what my life looks like, no matter what I'm going through, no matter what my latest obsession is, Multnomah is a good place to be.  I will be leaving in May and pursuing a Master's Degree somewhere else.  But I know I'll be back, because Multnomah is my home, and even when I make my home elsewhere, my heart will always have a special place for this cafe on this particular afternoon.

Club Corner: The English Patients

Photo courtesy of Josh McKinley

Name: The English Patients

Q: What’s your club about?

A: This club is simply a chance for some literary-minded people to get together and discuss some of the things that are being presented to them in the texts that they are reading.  It is aimed at people in English classes at Multnomah.  The Professors of English here at our school don’t mess around when it comes to texts they give us to read.  They are life-changing works and must be treated that way, and we shouldn’t be reading them in isolation.  So to English Club we go!  To hash out some of the big things God is trying to teach us through literature.

Q: What does a typical meeting look like?

A: A Typical meeting will basically be circle discussion about things we are reading.  Discussion will involve things as simple as how are things going this semester, to what is God changing in your life through the texts we have been presented with.  There will also be opportunities for people to share writing they are proud of, or want some help with.  Basically a Lit nerd’s paradise.  There may be food…depends on if the budget comes through.

Meeting Times: We will meet every first and third Thursday at 6:30 in the PM.

Meeting Place: We will meet in the student senate room, which is located between the mailroom and the commuter center.

Club Officers: As a libertarian, I, Josh McKinley, reluctantly accept the role as President… but think of it more like a discussion leader.  Daniel Gillespie will be Co-Discussion leader, and of course the Honorable Hogan Schaak will be our emperor.  Of course there are opportunities to get more involved for students who wish to help out.

Q: How do interested students get involved?

A: If you would like to get involved you basically just have to show up at one of our meetings.  You can also contact me, Josh McKinley, or Daniel Gillespie on Facebook for more information.

Leaning In: A Review of Sheryl Sandberg's Bestseller

by Laura Joy Griffith

A few months ago, I watched a YouTube clip of Sheryl Sandberg on Oprah, talking about a study that found that women are disliked for being professionally successful, while men are esteemed for it.  Intrigued, I vowed to read Sandberg’s book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, a 2013 bestseller, which presents an optimistic view of the challenges women face in the workplace and practical suggestions for men and women who would like to see things change.

As chief operating officer of Facebook, Sandberg has first-hand experience with the obstacles—both internal and external—holding women back from professional success.  Her book engages the heart with a slew of personal stories, and it engages the mind with an abundance of statistics and facts.  Sandberg deals with the sometimes shocking data about women in corporate America in a way that is both honest and sensitive.  She is not afraid of the “f” word: feminism, but she does not preach the man-hating, bra-burning extremism so often associated with that word.

To the average university student, the subject matter of Lean In may seem irrelevant, especially the chapters that focus on balancing career and family.  But I found Sandberg’s principles to be helpful and inspirational even for me.  Whether you are torn between the office and the home or between the classroom and the dorm, whether you are male or female, I would highly recommend Lean In.  Former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice agrees: “Lean In is a superb, witty, candid, and meaningful read for women (and men) of all generations.”

Volleyball and Girla Sorensen

Girla Sorensen
Photo courtesy of
Multnomah University

Name: Girla Sorensen
Year: Freshman
Major/Minor: Psychology
Sport: Volleyball
Position: opposite hitter
Number: 13/14
Q: How long have you played your sport competitively? 
A: 5 seasons
Q: What do you like best about it?
A. What I like best about volleyball is having teammates.  It is nice to be surrounded by teammates to build a relationship on and off the court with.  Also it’s nice to have them when you need encouragement or guidance to better a play and be built up individually.
Q: What do you like best about Multnomah’s team?
A: What I like best about playing for Multnomah is the group of girls I am privileged to play volleyball with and the coaching staff that I am able to have for volleyball.  I really enjoy the accountability we have for each other either.
Q: How can the Multnomah student body support your team?
A: The Multnomah student body can best support the volleyball team by coming to our games and cheering us on no matter what the outcome is.  We love our fans and some of our energy, whether they know it or not, comes from their support that they give us.
Q: What are you looking forward to about the upcoming season?
A: We as a team have mentioned that we are excited to see what God does throughout this season, and even after the season is over.

The MU volleyball team has a tournament on Friday, Oct. 3 and Saturday, Oct. 4. Come out to the games at 3, 5, and 7 on Friday and 10, 12, and 2 on Saturday!