Sam Aureli

Heard from the Pew

They told us what to fear, starting with music—how certain sounds could slip into the body, loosen it, make it forget itself. Burn the records. Bury them. Keep your hips still, spine straight, as if God listened to only one tempo, one clean and obedient noise. We nodded because nodding was easier than asking why joy always needed supervision. They told us Jesus turned water into grape juice, said it plainly, without smiling, as if weddings were solemn affairs and no one there would notice what was missing. They told us God chose nations the way we chose teams, and everyone knew which flag He waved. Jesus would vote like us, and I pictured Him stitched into red, white, and blue, the gospel folded small enough to carry into a booth. They spoke often about money—give it freely, it would wait for us later, stored somewhere clean and bright, while someone else always seemed well-fed, well-dressed, blessed in ways that looked like comfort. Suffering, they promised, was temporary; endure enough of it and reward would come, and then, without pausing, prosperity too, obedience working like a transaction, blessings falling on the faithful like manna. Prayer, they explained, worked best when you were emptied out, when pain pressed you thin enough to be useful, while doubt was weight you carried alone, proof you hadn’t tried hard enough. They sang after that, the organ swelling, voices rising around us, sure and loud, and we stood because everyone stood, knees locking, breath held, while I turned their words over in my hands like something misshapen, unfamiliar, wondering when faith became a test you were already failing, and whether it was ever meant to feel this tight around the chest.

Sam Aureli is a design and construction professional, originally from Italy, now calling the Boston area home. A first-generation college graduate, he’s spent decades immersed in concrete and steel. Poetry is what truly feeds his soul these days. His work has appeared in The Atlanta Review, West Trade Review, Chestnut Review, and other literary journals. Sam was also the Grand Prize Winner in The October Project’s 2025 Poetry Contest, a Merit Award winner in the Atlanta Review 2025 International Poetry Competition, and a finalist in the Good Life Poetry HoneyBee Prize.