There was no one to clutch my hand and show me how to navigate a life where being a professional and a mother could coexist.
Finalist, “Road Not Taken” ContestDesire is something I keep behind my teeth, left to roil in my stomach alone. Secret and safe, sweet strawberry wine. I worry it’ll bitter. Sour, for being bound. Desire for another, a soft (feminine) hand in my own, a body beside me at the bedside . . . It is a lonely watch, mine. I, a sole figure, closed-mouthed, weighed down in the moonlight. Lord, to you, I loosen a tongue fat, heavy, and swollen. Bit back. I wonder, worry — is the bitter better than the sweet? Oh Lord I would have you take […]
I’ve tortured myself with regret and wondering why I hadn’t just made better choices at these pivotal moments in my life.
After Stephanie BurtHonorable Mention, “Road Not Taken” ContestStand up front with jelly beans the chances of our choices Stinky socks or tutti-frutti Licorice or skunk spray What will become of us is here in the building Booger or juicy pear Coconut or baby wipes and nearly always stronger for two-factor identification nuclear, intact, spilled out across the pews Moldy cheese or caramel apple Pretty peach or vomit barf Picture the eaglet whose treeline nest is nearest the stench of the landfill Think how the orphaned cub scavenges bursting blisters of parasite gall Nothing here is certain so when Bethany, almost […]
For some months, she had wondered what she was doing, what it all meant. She had reached the end of her plans, and even though she didn’t think another witness could help her overcome this weariness, she was open to one.
after Jeffrey DavisFinalist, “Road Not Taken” ContestWe had no dark leaves of longing, instead we held the Mojave, its sand singing through our fingers. Memories close enough to the sweet sage and mesquite, road runners lightning after a desert rain. I’m back among sand dunes back inside that small space spent searching for talismans, fall a shrug away. And the sun at the window, scrying. Each bright sky of memory silvers, like pieces of a broken mirror, immediate again. Encircled by amethyst mountains, remembered for their refusal to fall. If only I could settle on the patio of hope and […]
My adopted children have taught me things about the world and myself that my biological children never could have.
Honorable Mention, “Road Not Taken” ContestHalf a lifetime ago, newly wed, we shopped for a new car — a white Mazda Protegé; the saleswoman led us from the lot to her office, said she would give us a loan that was right for our budget; we’d have low payments for that unsexy car, but it was no fun to drive; my husband could not be content with economy for he had dreamt of more than basic transportation. We walked away, and although we couldn’t afford it, bought a Volkswagen that cost a hundred more per month. He seemed at peace […]
This is when I knew something had to change; I was willing to trade the uncomfortable known for hopefully a more comfortable unknown.
From premed student to physician, and eventually from physician to state senator.
Exponent II provides feminist forums for women and gender minorities across the Mormon spectrum to share their diverse life experiences in an atmosphere of trust and acceptance. through these exchanges, we strive to create a community to better understand and support each other.
