James Goldberg – Page 12 – Mormon Lit Blitz

Call for Submissions: “Around the World in Mormon Lit” Short Story Contest

Please help us spread the word about a writing contest for Mormon writers from any country and working in any language!

Over the past seven years, the Mormon Lit Blitz contest has helped connect Mormon readers and writers by featuring pieces short enough to read on a bus ride or at the end of a lunch break. During that time, we’ve published short stories set in Brazil, India, Mexico, Germany, and Spain as well as the United States.

Our readers want more. A group of donors have funded a contest to feature short stories with Mormon characters set in different places around the world, with a few stories to be published for each continent. For this contest, we’ll accept stories up to 2,000 words in length written in any language. There will be a $100 prize for the audience’s favorite story and a second $100 prize to recognize the top story originally written in a language other than English.

The deadline for the contest is December 31, 2018. Authors may submit up to three short stories to the contest. Please email stories to everydaymormonwriter@gmail.com. Authors should include their name, contact information, the title of each story, and the country in which the story is set, in the body of the email.

For this contest to succeed, we need your help to share this call with Mormon writers around the world. Submissions in any language are acceptable: the Call for Submissions is currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and German as well as English.

Frequently asked questions:

What language will the finalists be published in?

The stories chosen as finalists will be published both in their original language and in English. If they wish, writers may submit their own translations of their story, or permit our volunteer judges and translators to evaluate and translate their story.

Do I need to be from the country I write about?

No. Authors can write about any country but should be familiar through experience and/or study with the country they depict. We encourage writers, whenever possible, to share drafts with someone native to any country they write about.

Can I submit my story if it is longer than 2,000 words?

No. Stories need to be edited down under 2,000 words to qualify for the contest.

Are there any restrictions on submissions in terms of genre?

No. Stories can have elements of romance, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, or any other genre. They may take place at any time in the past, present, or future. The only restrictions are that they need to feature a setting in a specific place on earth and depict Mormon experience in some way.

Are there any regions writers should avoid?

No. Because many Mormon short stories have been set in and around Utah, the finalist slots for North America will likely go to stories set in other North American countries or elsewhere in the United States, but a surprising and engaging story from Utah could still capture judges’ attention. We also expect to favor stories of Mormons who live in a given country, as native residents or immigrants, over stories centered on missionaries, but could be surprised by a missionary story that really allows its setting to shine.

To learn how you can support this and other Mormon literary contests, visit www.patreon.com/mormonlitlab

Convocatoria: Certamen de cuentos «Dándole la vuelta al mundo con la literatura mormona»

Les rogamos nos ayuden a correr la voz de ¡un certamen de cuentos para escritores mormones provenientes de cualquier país, en el idioma que sea!

Durante los últimos siete años, el concurso Mormon Lit Blitz ha conectado a lectores con escritores mormones al publicar obras tan breves que pueden leerse durante un viaje en autobús o incluso a modo de sobremesa. En estos años hemos publicado cuentos ambientados en Brasil, India, México, Alemania y España, así como en Estados Unidos.

Nuestros lectores ahora piden más. Un grupo de donantes está financiando un certamen de cuentos cuya característica principal es que tengan personajes mormones y que estén ambientados en distintas partes del mundo. De entre dichos cuentos se seleccionará a varios por continente a fin de publicarlos. Para este concurso se podrán remitir cuentos en cualquier idioma, con una extensión máxima de 2 000 palabras. Se otorgará un premio de 100 USD al cuento favorito del público lector, así como otro premio de 100 USD al mejor cuento escrito en un idioma que no sea el inglés.

El plazo para presentar cuentos vence el 31 de diciembre de 2018. Los autores podrán presentar hasta tres trabajos. Sírvanse mandar dichos cuentos a everydaymormonwriter@gmail.com. En el cuerpo del correo, los autores deberán incluir su nombre, datos de contacto, título del cuento y el país en que se desarrolla la trama.

Preguntas frecuentes:

¿En qué idioma se publicará a los finalistas?

Los cuentos seleccionados como finalistas se publicarán tanto en el idioma original como en inglés. Los autores que lo deseen podrán presentar su propia traducción de la obra o, en su defecto, permitir a nuestros jueces y traductores voluntarios evaluar y traducir el trabajo.

¿Tengo que ser oriundo del país sobre el que escribo?

No. Los autores podrán escribir sobre cualquier país, siempre y cuando tengan conocimiento suficiente del lugar, ya sea porque vivieron allí o porque han estudiado sobre él. Hasta donde sea posible instamos que los escritores pidan a alguien originario del país en cuestión revisar sus borradores.

¿Puedo enviar cuentos de más de 2 000 palabras?

No. Para ser evaluados, los cuentos deben quedar por debajo de las 2 000 palabras.

A la hora de enviar un cuento, ¿hay géneros que no estén permitidos?

No. Los cuentos podrán contar con elementos de romance, misterio, ciencia ficción, fantasía o cualquier otro género. La trama puede transcurrir en cualquier momento, ya sea pasado, presente o futuro. La única restricción es que la obra tiene que ser ambientada en un sitio específico del planeta tierra y tiene que reflejar de alguna manera la experiencia mormona.

¿Hay regiones del mundo sobre las cuales no se pueda escribir?

No. Debido a que anteriormente muchos cuentos mormones se ambientaron en Utah y sus alrededores, los cuentos finalistas por Norteamérica probablemente transcurran en otros países de América del Norte o en otras partes de Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, un cuento sorprendente y cautivante en Utah puede llamar la atención de los jueces. Tenemos preferencia por cuentos de mormones que vivan en países específicos, ya sea como residentes locales o como inmigrantes, antes que por cuentos sobre misioneros, aunque nos podría agradar un cuento misional que realmente haga relucir su localidad.

Para descubrir cómo apoyar este y otros concursos literarios mormones, visiten www.patreon.com/mormonlitlab

Anúncio de Concurso: Uma Volta ao Mundo com Contos Mórmones

Por favor, nos ajude a compartilhar um concurso para escritores mórmons de qualquer país e escrito em qualquer idioma!

Nos últimos sete anos, o concurso Mormon Lit Blitz (“Inundação da Literatura Mórmon”) ajudou a conectar leitores e autores mórmons através de contos curtos que podem ser lidos no caminho do ônibus ou no fim do horário de almoço. Durante esse período, publicamos histórias que aconteceram no Brasil, México, Alemanha, Espanha e Estados Unidos.

Nossos leitores querem mais. Um grupo de doadores financiou um concurso para publicar histórias fictícias, com personagens mórmons, acontecidas em vários lugares do mundo. Publicaremos algumas histórias de cada continente do mundo. Para este concurso queremos histórias fictícias com menos de 2.000 palavras. As histórias podem ser escritas em qualquer idioma. Haverá um prêmio de US$100 (dólares americanos) para a história mais popular. Também haverá um prêmio adicional de US$100 (dólares americanos) ara a história mais votada e escrita em um idioma que não seja o inglês.

O prazo do envio dos textos é 31 de dezembro de 2018. Os autores podem enviar até três histórias ao concurso. Por favor envie as histórias para everydaymormonwriter@gmail.com. Em seu email, inclua seu nome, sua informação de contato, o título da sua história, e o país em que a história é colocada.

Perguntas Mais Frequentes:

Os finalistas serão publicados em qual idioma?

Os contos escolhidos como finalistas serão publicados em seus idiomas originais e também em inglês. Se quiserem, os autores podem submeter sua própria tradução ao inglês, ou autorizar nossos juízes e tradutores voluntários a avaliar e traduzir seu texto.

Preciso escrever sobre meu próprio país?

Não. Os autores podem escrever sobre qualquer país com o qual sejam familiarizados através de experiência pessoal ou estudo.

Aconselhamos os autores a compartilharem seus rascunhos com pessoas nativas do país sobre qual estão escrevendo.

Posso enviar minha história se tem mais de 2.000 palavras?

Não. Todas as histórias precisam ser editadas a 2000 palavras ou menos para serem qualificadas para o concurso.

Existem restrições quanto ao gênero da história?

Não. As histórias devem ser fictícias e podem ter elementos de romance, mistério, ficção científica, fantasia ou qualquer outro gênero. Elas podem acontecer no passado, presente, ou futuro. A única restrição é que as histórias precisam ter uma localização geográfica específica e retratar a experiência mórmon de algum modo.

Há alguma região geográfica que os autores devem evitar??

Não. Porém, visto que muitas histórias mórmons aconteceram ao redor de Utah, as chances de ganhar serão maiores para as histórias que aconteceram em outras regiões do hemisfério norte ou do mundo. De fato esperamos favorecer histórias de mórmons que vivem em outros países, como nativos ou imigrantes, comparadas as histórias centradas em missionários, mas também podemos nos surpreender com uma história missionária que realce sua localização.

Para aprender como apoiar este concurso e outros concursos de literatura mórmon, visite www.patreon.com/mormonlitlab

Kurzgeschichtewettbewerb für Mormonen aus allen Ländern

In den vergangenen sieben Jahren hat der Schreibwettbewerb “Mormon Lit Blitz” dazu beigetragen, dass Leser Geschichten für oder über Mormonen endecken können. Auf unsere Webseite, veröffentlichen wir Stücke die man in fünf Minuten lesen kann, damit man die Gelegenheit hat, viele Autoren kennenlernen kann. Seit 2011 haben wir, unter anderem, Kurzgeschichten veröffentlicht, die in Brasilien, Indien, Mexiko, Deutschland und Spanien sowie in den USA stattfinden.

Unsere Leser wollen mehr. Eine Gruppe von Geldgebern hat einen Kurzgeschichtewettbewerb finanziert, wo Autoren die Erfahrungen der Mormon in verschieden Ländern schildern. Gesucht sind Kurzgeschichten unter 2,000 Wort. Preisgeld von $100 wird an zwei Geschichten gegeben: das Lieblingstück unserer Leser und um die beste Kurzgeschichte zu erkennen, die ursprünglich in einer anderen Sprache als Englisch geschrieben wurde.

Der Einsendeschluss für den Wettbewerb ist der 31. Dezember 2018. Die Autoren können bis zu drei Kurzgeschichten zum Wettbewerb einreichen. Bitte senden Sie Ihre Geschichten an everydaymormonwriter@gmail.com. Autoren sollten ihren Namen, Kontaktinformationen, den Titel jeder Geschichte, und das Land, in dem die Geschichte eingestellt ist, in den Text der E-Mail einfügen.

世界各地のモルモン文学短編コンテストの公募

どんな言語でも、どの国でものモルモン小説家のライティングコンテストを公募します！

過去7年間、Mormon Lit Blitz (モルモン文学ブリッツ・コンテスト)は、モルモンの読者と作家を繫なげました。バスに乗っている間や、昼休みの時間に読めるような短い短編のコンテストです。ブラジル、インド、メキシコ、ドイツ、スペイン、米国で短編小説を発表しました。

読者はより多くを求めています。寄付者のグループは世界中のさまざまな場所でモルモンの人物が繰り広げる短い物語を制作するコンテストに資金を提供し、各大陸にいくつかの物語を公開しています。このコンテストでは、どの言語でも2,000語(日本語は5000字)までの物語を受け入れます。二つの賞があります。読者好評賞（賞金：100 USドル）、また英語以外の言語で書かれた好評賞（賞金：100 USドル）。

コンテストの締め切りは2018年12月31日です。著者はコンテストに3編の短編小説を提出できます。物語をeverydaymormonwriter@gmail.comに電子メールで送ってください。また、著者の名前、連絡先情報、各物語のタイトル、またどの国を舞台にしているかを明記して電子メールで送って下さい。

よくある質問：

Q:ファイナリストはどの言語で公開されますか？

A: ファイナリストに選ばれた短編は、元の言語と英訳の両方で公開されます。作家は自分の物語の翻訳を提出するか、あるいはボランティアの審査員と翻訳者が物語を評価して翻訳することを許可することができます。

Q: 私が母国について書く必要がありますか？

A: いいえ。作者はどの国についても書くことができますが、経験や勉強を通してその国に慣れ親しんでおくべきです。舞台は母国以外なら、作家が対象国の人に下書きを分け合って相談することを勧めます。

Q: 2,000語以上の話(日本語は5,000字)を提出することはできますか？

A: いいえ、短編はコンテストの資格を得るために2,000語以下(日本語は5,000字以下)で編集する必要があります。

Q: ジャンルに制限はありますか？

A: いいえ。物語には、ロマンス、ミステリー、SF、ファンタジー、その他何でもジャンルは問いません。過去、現在、または将来のいつの時代のことでも可能です。唯一の制限は、地球上の特定の場所を舞台にして、また広い意味でモルモンの経験を描写する必要があることです。

Q: 作家が避けるべき地域はありますか？

A:いいえ、多くのモルモン短編小説はユタとその周辺を舞台としているため北アメリカでの最終選考枠は北米諸国或いは米国の他の地域の物語になりがちですが、驚嘆すべき、人を引き付けるようなユタ州の物語であれば審判の興味を引くこともあり得ます。

私どもは宣教師中心の物語よりも自国における先住民族や移民の物語が引き立てられるように期待しますが、本当に輝きを放つ宣教師の物語であれば驚かれることでしょう。

このモルモン文学コンテストと他のモルモン文学コンテストをどのようにサポートできるかを知るには、www.patreon.com/mormonlitlabをご覧ください。

2018 Mormon Lit Blitz Winners

As always, we owe thanks to all the writers who submitted to this year’s Mormon Lit Blitz and to the many readers who read the finalists, shared them on social media, and cast votes in the contest. This year, we also want to thank the core group of supporters who have pledged a monthly contribution to the Mormon Lit Lab Patreon account: we’ve almost reached the funding goal to add a second contest this fall!

To wrap up this contest, we’ve counted votes and after a historically tight race the top four stories are:

4. “Missionary Weekly Report for 28 March-3 April, Mumbai 1st Branch, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” by Mattathias Westwood

3. “Three Dogs in the Afterlife” by Luisa Perkins

2. “Beneath the Visiting Moon” by Lee Allred

and…

1. “A Perfect Voice” by Katherine Cowley

Congratulations!

We’d also like to recognize the winner of this year’s special “Judge’s Choice” Award, chosen by literary scholar and longtime Mormon Literature teacher Kylie Turley: “Proof That Sister Greeley Is a Witch (Even Though Mormons Don’t Believe in Witches)” by William Morris. You can read the complete citation, with honorable mentions of other finalists, here.

We hope many of you will join us this fall/winter for our next contest, with a theme to be selected by patrons of the Mormon Lit Lab, and next spring/summer for the 8th Annual Mormon Lit Blitz.

2018 Mormon Lit Blitz: Judge’s Choice Award

To celebrate the 7th anniversary of the Mormon Lit Blitz, we decided to fund an additional $100 “Judge’s Choice” award, with a winner selected by Kylie Turley, a scholar of Mormon Literary history and a longtime teacher of Mormon Literature classes at Brigham Young University’s Provo campus. Turley’s award selection and citation follows:

In a set of Mormon Literary Blitz finalists, William Morris’s “Proof that Sister Greeley Is a Witch” stands out. Though all of the finalists developed their works from compelling and dramatic ideas; and some had especially unique diction and used powerfully vivid imagery (“Beneath the Visiting Moon”); while others developed intriguing plots that grabbed the readers’ attentions (“Counsel” and “Scrubbing Jesus’ Toilets”) or closed powerfully (“Joseph and Emma Grow Old Together”) or moved through interesting plot twists (“After the Fast”); and yet still others conveyed powerful emotion in a non-sentimental way (“The Last Swing”), Morris was able to do all of those things in his short 10-step list while creating a strong sense of character within an LDS context.

Morris developed his idea in a creative manner: his use of a sort of “top 10” list incorporates both humor and serious moments, uses imagery and sensory description to not only tell a story, but also to develop his character. For example, Heidi’s sense of comedic timing is matched by her clever turn of phrase and wise insights. After listing gradually lengthening numbered reasons why Sister Greeley is strange, Heidi suddenly announces in reason number eight that “Sister Greeley has a wart on the side of her nose.” Heidi claims that she should have told the reader this important detail earlier, “but it seemed rude to point it out right away.” The length of the reason matches the lengths of the first two reasons, which not only supports Heidi’s argument, but also provides an abrupt and pert contrast to the lengthy run-on sentence in reason number seven. By writing in this manner, Morris masterfully reveals Heidi through her diction and thought processes, even as Heidi is revealing Sister Greeley through her astute observations and glib commentary. Despite the brevity required by the contest, readers finish the list understanding Sister Greeley and Heidi. Sister Greeley, from Heidi’s perspective, is a “witch”—but readers understand Heidi well enough by the last sentence to know that this bright and feisty young Mormon girl may not always be saying exactly what she means. Heidi tells us that “she didn’t know exactly what [Sister Greeley] meant” when she insists that Heidi—like her mother–is “one of these sisters” and demands that Heidi promise that she “won’t let them drive [her] away” from the church. Heidi says she doesn’t understand, but she concludes reason number ten with a series of shrewd contradictory statements that let readers know she understands exactly what is going on: Heidi tells readers that she is now sure that Sister Greeley is a “Mormon witch,” even though “Mormons don’t believe in witches” and she, Heidi, just promised Sister Greeley to remain in the church and to be “one of those sisters”—thus promising to be a “Mormon witch” herself. William Morris’s “Proof That Sister Greeley Is a Witch (Even Though Mormons Don’t Believe in Witches)” is well worth the few minutes it takes to read it. And who knows? Readers may discover a few LDS witches in their own wards now that they have read Heidi’s observations. Hopefully Morris will provide Heidi’s next list, so readers know what to do with the Sister Greeleys of the world—but, if he does not, I’d suggest Heidi’s approach: Brigham tea and a nice chat (reason #10).

One more thing: if readers run out of things to chat about with their Sister Greeley, I’d recommend reading and discussing “Joseph and Emma Grow Old Together” and “Beneath the Visiting Moon.” If they have a bit more time, they could include “Counsel” and “After the Fast” or “The Last Swing” and “Scrubbing Jesus’ Toilets” and “Missionary Weekly Report for 28 March – 3 April, Mumbai 1^st Branch, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”—although the reader and his or her Sister Greeley might find that the best idea is to read all the finalists and set up a weekly discussion about LDS authors and LDS writing.

2018 Mormon Lit Blitz Voting Instructions–and Some Exciting News

It’s that time of year again–just a week left to choose the winner of the Mormon Lit Blitz!

Voting Instructions

As per tradition, the audience chooses our annual Mormon Lit Blitz winner. To vote, look through the pieces, choose your favorite four, and email their titles (rather than author to avoid confusion) in ranked order to everydaymormonwriter@gmail.com.

Voting is open from Monday, June 11th until the end of the day on Saturday, June 16th. The winner of the $100 Grand Prize will be announced on Monday, June 18th. For the first time, an additional $100 Judge’s Choice Award will be announced that same day.

The twelve finalists are:

“Three Dogs in the Afterlife” by Luisa Perkins
“Scrubbing Jesus’ Toilets” by Lehua Parker
“A Perfect Voice” by Katherine Cowley
“New Rhythm” by Tanya Hanamaikai
“Counsel” by Faith Kershisnik
“After the Fast” by William Morris
“Beneath the Visiting Moon” by Lee Allred
“Still Clean” by Sherry Work
“Proof That Sister Greeley Is a Witch (Even Though Mormons Don’t Believe in Witches)” by Wm Morris
“The Last Swing” by Sheldon Lawrence
“Joseph and Emma Grow Old Together” by Eric Jepson
“Missionary Weekly Report for 28 March-3 April, Mumbai 1st Branch” by Mattathias Westwood

Again: in order to be counted, votes must contain a ranking of the reader’s four favorite pieces, listed by title or keyword from title, and must be emailed to everydaymormonwriter@gmail.com by the end of the day Saturday, June 16th. Voters should have at least skimmed all twelve pieces. We also welcome comments and feedback on the contest in vote emails.

Our Exciting News

We have loved this year’s contest. Every year, it’s a little hard to say goodbye as the contest draws to a close: this year, it’s been doubly so because the author Q&As left us so impressed with the people devoting their creative energy to Mormon Lit–and excited about the possibilities they envisioned.
So we’ve decided not to say the same year-long goodbye we typically do. After careful consideration, we’ve decided to start a new organization called the Mormon Lit Lab. The idea is to bring a core of Mormon Lit enthusiasts together to enroll as regular supporters of a Patreon fundraising page and then use our shared literary war chest for more contests, events, publications, and so on.

If you’re interested in seeing more contests like the Four Centuries of Mormon Stories or the Meeting of the Myths Contest, in attending a Writers’ Retreat like our 2013 event in Heber, Utah, in seeing an anthology of past Mormon Lit finalists and selected semi-finalists, or generally helping to advance the cause of Mormon Literature along the lines of this contest, we hope you’ll give the Patreon page a look and consider contributing.

“Missionary Weekly Report for 28 March-3 April, Mumbai 1st Branch, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” by Mattathias Westwood

Dear President Sudhakar,

Our key indicators for the week are 30 new investigators, 55 member-present lessons, 6 investigators who attended sacrament meeting, 1 investigator with a baptismal date. Zion Emmanuel is progressing but says he couldn’t afford the bus fare to make it to the chapel this week. I have asked Brother Dilip to pick him up next Sunday.

As you already know, our proselyting efforts this week were complicated by Elder Dnyaneshwar’s abrupt departure by train in the middle of the night on Thursday. I awoke to see his bed empty and his desk and cupboard cleared, and soon received a text message alerting me that he had arrived safely home to Visakhapatnam, and that I should not try to convince him to return.

I am sure you are wondering what led to this sudden action, and I have been wondering the same over these past four days. Of course, I should have noticed the signs. He had been even more homesick than usual for the past month, frequently mentioning his mother’s cooking and memories of his college friends. The work has been difficult here for so long, and the branch had been frustrated with him ever since his outburst at the member missionary fireside. With the upcoming election, he has been easily distracted by talk of politics. And any of his former companions will tell you that he could be moody and argumentative.

But I thought things were changing. We have redoubled our efforts, and you know that it is only due to Elder Dnyaneshwar’s persistence that I considered tracting in Bharatiya Colony, where we have had most of our recent success. I am ashamed to admit that I was fearful of the crowds of beggars by the rail station there, and I did not think anyone in the mud-spattered shanties under the elevated highway would be interested in our message.

It was Elder Dnyaneshwar who reminded me that the Savior himself had nowhere to lay his head, and that he was followed by crowds of people who yearned for daily bread as well as the bread of life. And with Rajbabu and Shanti, Isaac Sion and Ammamma, I saw how mistaken I had been. They have been filled with joy since the first day we shared the Plan of Salvation with Shanti at the auto stand. Shekar, Jhansi and their sons have pasted a picture of the Temple on the crossbar above their door and have begun collecting rupees in a jar with the hope of going as a family someday. And ever since Elder Dnyaneshwar challenged Naveen to prepare for a mission, he has been spending almost the full day with us, though he is still frustrated we will not let him take us to our appointments by motorbike.

So it came as a surprise when I awoke to an empty apartment after a day in which we had 16 member-present lessons to eager families and youth throughout the shanty-town, led by Naveen and Shekar’s 6-year old, Prakash. I had thought Elder Dnyaneshwar was relaxed and joking because he was finally starting to be comfortable here, not because he had decided to leave.

Some of the elders in the Zone will no doubt say he was always disobedient and rebellious, insisting on teaching in his own way and ignoring the counsel of his leaders. And given how he replied to the branch president’s suggestion that we were running faster than we had strength by teaching so many, or by teaching in the Colony at all, I understand why they think so. He was certainly a strong-willed missionary.

But perhaps it was simply that he saw what we could not. In a nation of 1.3 billion people, struggling in poverty, and unaware of their divine birthright, he knew the urgency of our call. We serve in a city of 21 million, 12 million of whom do not know where their next meal is coming from, in a branch of 300 members of record, 76 of whom attended sacrament meeting the week we arrived. If we alone carry the everlasting gospel and true hope of salvation, the balm for all the world’s ills, what are our efforts here but a drop in this ocean of suffering and need? The savior said the harvest was great and the laborers few, but if we truly recognized how great a burden lay upon us in this land, how could any of us stand?

Yours Faithfully,

Elder Arjun

A Q&A about this story with Mattathias Westwood is available here.

“Joseph and Emma Grow Old Together” by Eric Jepson

You never used to sleep this late,
motes of sun dancing above your
face. The years pull your eyes
toward your pillow. Your smile
has become permanent, even in sleep.
I like to trace the lines, each a testament
of God’s surprises, less frequent now.
Now, God gives you time to stand out
by the fence and watch
the few dozen members of your
obscure order plow and seed and reap.
He seems to have little to say.
He has become a nodding God,
satisfied with another harvest. But
are you satisfied? Ten thousand acres
outside Palmyra is more than your father
dreamed of; and as your children’s children
and your nephews’ children and the children
of Knights and Whitmers are born and marry
and work the land, as our Joseph
sits in the Assembly: we know the Lord
has kept his word and made us safe
as I had asked you to ask him to promise us
(once, twice, three times), but you—
you still miss (will always miss) the running
danger of our youth, our near escapes and
passionate celebration. But your
God gave us this corner and gifted us
with happiness and, Oh! Joseph!, as I run
my fingers across your every line,
I see the paths we’ve taken, while
you, in quiet moments, you, in the dark of night,
you, I know, see paths we did not take, paths
God held back—for himself?—for
another?—for ever?

Emma, Emma, you
are enough for me.

A Q&A about this poem with Eric Jepson is available here.

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