Mj Pettengill

From the bosom of the devastated earth, a voice goes up with our own. It says, "Disarm, Disarm!" Julia Ward Howe, 1870

Daddy always said that when somethin’ is born, somethin’ dies, and when somethin’ dies, somethin’ is born—livestock, deadstock.

I was just eight years old when I had the idea to play in the cemetery and stop and read the stones.

Together, we navigated the enduring darkness born from life—a tree no longer bleeding at the roots.

Unlike the traditional auction, familiar to us in modern times, the pauper was sold to the lowest bidder.

“In God’s eyes, we are the same, no matter which side of the fence we are on.”

My question today is, would my Puritan ancestors send me to the gallows?

These ghosts still wander, reminding me of who we were in what seemed to be another lifetime.

If you are suffering and believe there is nowhere to turn, please reconsider. Any shame, unworthiness, fear, or loss of hope can be faced...

In the end, what haunted her in her youth had become what she lived for.

What was lost may be gone forever, but you can seek and create a new world in the space left behind.

The ships stayed in port, not intended for the ravenous folk with empty bellies and rattlin’ bones—

Yes, the shadows are menacing, but we are equipped to find our way.

I am inspired by others' offerings. This particular poem is deeply moving. The love for mother brought about tears. Reaching into the...

We do not witness the atrocities connected to most of what we consume in our daily lives.

I must be ready to step into the truth. It is time to roll up my sleeves and be prepared to make my way through years of blood and guts.

We are a sum of those fragments of ourselves that we may not even remember, and they are often fueling us.

Salem was just a drop in the ocean...

It’s human nature to believe that our circumstances are unique. To a degree, they are. For the most part, we have been here and done this...

Where do the mysteries begin and end? The answer is nowhere and everywhere.