L.M. Montgomery Found Poem in The Overturning: Writers respond.

I'm delighted to be a contributor to The Overturning: Writers respond., an anthology composed of responses (poetry, fiction, and nonfiction) to the 2022 Dobb's decision that eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. Please considering purchasing a copy—this anthology definitely does not disappoint!

"The World Hurts," my contribution to the anthology, was written using a paragraph from L.M. Montgomery's Emily of New Moon.

Here is the paragraph I used with the words I selected in red:

“Dear Father, this is a very strange world. Nothing ever turns out just like what you expect. Last night I couldn’t sleep again. I was so worried. I thought I was a coward, and doing an underhanded thing and not living up to my tradishuns. At last it got so bad I couldn’t stand it. I can bear it when other people have a bad opinion of me but it hurts too much when I have a bad opinion of myself. So I got out of bed and went right back through all those halls to the back parlor. Aunt Nancy was still there all alone playing Solitare. She said what on earth was I out of bed for at such an hour. I just said, short and quick to get the worst over, “I broke your Jakobite glass yesterday and hid the pieces behind the sofa.” Then I waited for the storm to burst. Aunt Nancy said “What a blessing. I’ve often wanted to smash it but never had the courage. All the Priest clan are waiting for me to die to get that glass and quarrel over it and I’m tickled to think none of them can have it now and yet can’t pick a fuss with me over smashing it. Get off to bed and get your beauty sleep.” I said “And aren’t you mad at all, Aunt Nancy?” “If it had been a Murray airloom I’d have torn up the turf” Aunt Nancy said. “But I don’t care a hoot about the Priest things.”

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