Exponent II
A feminist forum for Mormon women and gender minority voices
please bless the brothers the fathers, the sons to see themselves in God / to see in God themselves to hear their lives through hymns, scripture, law to find their self on top, in language, in all fields, positions, roles, openly worshipped and unconcerned with my prayer Brinn El…
Book review of Allison Hong Merrill’s Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops Abusers hate nothing more than when those they’ve harmed speak up. If we evaluated books based on the courage it takes authors to write their painful lived experiences despite threats and the fear or reliving trauma, Al…
Easter is one of my favorite holidays. It is a time we get to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After Jesus died on the cross, His body and spirit were separated and were not reunited again until His resurrection three days later. Latter-day Saints testify of Jesus’ res…
In the shadow of the hospital, he cradles a box of Triscuits to his chest — tenderly, like a more delicate load. I joke about the familiar gesture, then when my empty arms return home, I find I am craving pears: sweet weight I’ve been allergic to for years. I wash myself of the s…
On a deep-green April afternoon, Oriental poppies at the height of their orange perfection, my daughter draws with chalk on the driveway while I begin mowing the last section of lawn. I turn a wide arc around the maple tree, the mower’s metronome thrum silencing the paws of the n…
Star child, I wanted to believe in you For so long— Ever longing, I cherished you Holiest of babes born to mankind! I grasped at the clear glow that surely Must have slanted from the straw Cradling you in a stone manger Over two thousand years ago. I wanted to swaddle the warm pr…
Compiled by Tirza Davis Behold, Your Little Ones: A Woman’s Witness KAYLEE | JUNE 23, 2021 exponentii.org/behold-your-little-ones-a-womans-witness I am the mother of young daughters. I do the majority of childcare and spend the most time with them. I witness their dreams, their s…
I don’t know why it took me so long to consult the paper. I knew in my bones that our gatherings had produced our projects, rather than vice versa.
The Significance of Touch
In March of 2021, I received a message that my grandpa — who’d been mowing his own lawn the day before — had experienced a stroke. The doctors said he had a few weeks left to live. Because of pandemic safety concerns, I couldn’t visit him in the hospital and needed to wait severa…
Forgive yourself now and each morning for your 9-5 job, teleworking instead of homeschooling. You do what you can, checking in every few hours, stroking their soft hair, less teacher and more reminder that you’re there, a waiting hug if they need one. Drink water. Go for a walk. …
Watching a live performance…that intangible feeling becomes tangible for a brief time. The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe now or log in!