Re: Formal Request for Mercy
Dear Universe,
I am writing in follow up to recent events within the scope of your realm and provide you with some comments and questions related thereto. I represent humans on earth. I know that you encompass all of space and time and their contents, including, but not limited to, all the planets, stars, galaxies, and any and all forms of matter and energy, seen and unseen. As such, you likely are engaged with much larger matters than the woes of meager earthlings. I do not mean to appear geocentric but here on earth, our situation feels drastic and urgent – humanity is, frankly, really struggling right now and needs a break. In short, anything you can do to lend us positive cosmic energy would be greatly appreciated.
I don’t have excuses for us, we have done what we have done, to ourselves, I know. But, I still have to ask, isn’t there anything you can do for us? Is there some combination of positive cosmic vibes you can send to earth to ease up on the fires and the storms? The tsunamis and the earthquakes and the violence and the killing and the wars? The deterioration of natural resources and the diseases and the suffering and the dying too soon? The anxiety, the fear and the loneliness? Can the dial be turned up instead on sheltering and kindness and peace and love? How about healing and steadiness and helping and holding? Any extra inches of strength, resilience or resolve? What about gentleness? Can we get more of that down here?
I know we do not deserve your mercy, Universe, but I hope you will find it in your galactic heart to give it to us anyway and that your mercy will serve as a lesson to humans to have mercy on each other. I have thoroughly researched the issue and can attest that, technically, mercy can be bestowed irrespective of whether or not such mercy is deserved.
I hope this feedback finds you and is well received. I hope you will do everything in your power to make things easier for us as we have truly had about as much as we believe we can take. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions, I would be happy to provide more specific details. I still can be reached, for now.
Sincerely,
Beth Mulcahy
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Beth Mulcahy (she/her) is a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and writer whose work has appeared in various journals, including Full House Literary and Roi Faineant Press. Her writing bridges the gaps between generations and self, hurt and healing. Beth lives in Ohio with her husband and two children and works for a company that provides technology to people without natural speech. Her latest publications can be found here.
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image: Paul Ruta • paulthomasruta.com • @paulruta
Rejection Letters 