Poetry Sample

Is Grace Really Amazing?

Copyright 2019 by Abbie Johnson Taylor

 

 

I don’t think so.

The song says Grace saved a wretch,

but if I get lost, I may not be found.

I’m visually impaired and don’t see.

 

Grace didn’t teach my heart to fear.

Nor did it relieve my fears.

I don’t know if Grace is precious.

Sometimes I believe – sometimes I don’t.

 

Grace wasn’t with me

through dangers, toils, snares.

Grace won’t lead me home.

I must and will find my way.

Back Story

 

This poem was published in the September 2025 issue of Literature Today. Among other things, the magazine invited pieces exploring both sides of faith.

For many years, I turned my back on organized religion. Though I’ve always loved “Amazing Grace”—especially the above version, which always brings me to tears—I wrote this poem to refute the song’s message. But since then, working as a musician in a more open and inclusive church has helped me rediscover a sense of faith—not in a God of absolute power, but in one of unconditional love. I now believe that God offers comfort and acceptance, even if not the kind of intervention the hymn describes.

Despite the Bible’s harsh teachings, I’m convinced that God wants us to embrace everyone, no matter who they are. If we could all live by that principle, this would be a more compassionate world. Thank you for reading.

 

New! Living Vicariously in Wyoming: Stories

Copyright 2025 by Abbie Johnson Taylor

Published independently with the help of DLD Books.

 

The scene shows an isolated barn off to the right in a snowy field, probably shortly after sunset. The foreground is a mixture of white, blue, and brown shades. Behind the barn is a line of dense, dark trees, many of them evergreens. The sky is the pink one sometimes sees at sunset, and a full moon hangs above the treetops to the left. The title is in plain black letters against the sky with a white glow behind them. The author’s name is in white letters near the bottom of the cover.

Image Description written by Leonore Dvorkin of DLD Books.

 

As defined in the first story, living vicariously means living your life through someone else’s. You’re invited to live vicariously through the lives of the people in these stories. There’s the lawyer who catches his wife in the act with a nun. A college student identifies with a character in a play. A young woman loses her mother and finds her father. And a high school student’s prudish English teacher strenuously objects to a single word in her paper.

In Wyoming, as in any other state, people fall in love, and sometimes relationships are shattered. Accidents, domestic violence, prejudice, and crimes all occur. Lives are torn apart, and people are reunited. Ordinary people deal with everyday and not–so–everyday situations.

The 25 stories in this collection, most of which are set in Wyoming, are about how the various characters resolve their conflicts—or not.

 

Click here for more information and ordering links.

 

Abbie wears a blue and white V-neck top with different shades of blue from sky to navy that swirl together with the white. She has short, brown hair and rosy cheeks and smiles at the camera against a black background.

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

Photo Resize and Description

by Two Pentacles Publishing

About My Monthly Newsletter

 

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to News from My Corner by sending a blank email to:  newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io .  You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go. Happy reading!