top of page

We Can Grow or Wither

This series explores the themes of hardships and resilience, exclusions and triumphs, and ultimately the path of healing. Most importantly, this series is celebrating each woman and their journey, how they have mended themselves. 

​

The textured

                                                      And fragmented 

                  Inflicted with too many scars

                                                               Who were we?

         Will we survive?

                  Who will remember?

                                             Piecing 

                                                               Growing

                                    And stitching 

                  Ourselves back together 

For a society 

                           That thrives on pain 

                                                      And division 

         Doesn’t understand 

                                    The cost 

                  Of just surviving 

                                             The agony

         The torment 

                           The light 

                                                               Being taken away 

                                             But yet 

                  We stand 

                                    And 

                                                      We fight 

For the light 

                  To glow 

                                             We aren’t 

                           Tragedies 

                                                      We are a force 

Who are we?

                           Not the inflicted scars 

         Or 

                                                               The catastrophes 

                  That have invaded our lives 

                           Nor                     

                                                      The nightmares 

         Of our past

                           We are Women 

                                                               Weaving

Ourselves 

                           Back together 

         Do you hear us? 

                                    Now, listen closely 

We Are a Force

12 x 12 inches, screenprint ink, fabric, soft pastel, crochet edge, and yarn 

We Are a Force

The series, We Are A Force, investigates the burdens that women space, especially the scars we carry and how incredible it is to witness how people can heal and grow. This series further explores how we are all still here and thriving, we are continuing life, and that is pretty precious. 

Wildflower

Who was I?

Will I survive?

A life disguised 

As a tapestry of difficulties 

Born with an auditory processing disorder 

And labeled 

Labeled 

Labeled as not smart 

Misunderstood from 

The beginning 

Tortured from age six 

Up to age thirteen 

Oh the cries

Oh the pain of 

Trying and trying 

To make sense 

Of 

Who was I?

Will I survive?

Years and years 

Of speech 

Balance

And eye therapy 

Just to be understood 

A life disguised 

Still 

Still 

Labeled as not smart 

But labeled indeed 

As a jock 

A life disguised 

Told over and over again 

Success was not meant 

To be 

A life disguised 

Fighting for a chance 

Or even an acknowledgement 

For it to never come 

How does one go on?

A new life 

The excitement 

That 

Turns to ashes 

Anger

Shame 

And embarrassment rise 

How does one go on?

Sexually assaulted by nineteen 

It’s like a distant 

Memory now

Maybe shoved 

Too far down 

The constant 

Reminder of your therapist 

Blaming you 

Do you hear me?

1, 2, 3... 

And 9 years pass 

The self-loathing 

vanished

Like stars at dawn 

The shame 

And anger 

Vanishes 

Do you hear me?

Blossoming 

Rising 

Stitching 

Every fiber 

Back together 

Celebrating the power 

Of womanhood 

The strength 

But truth be told 

This is just a glimpse 

Of the many scars a 

Woman can carry 

Are you ready for more?

Maybe not 

Loving bombing 

Bread crumbing 

and 

ghosting 

not once 

not twice

but 

eight times 

Sure you want more?

Self-doubt 

Is not a joke 

It rises to the surface 

Flashback 

After flashback 

But 

Who am I?

I am 

A force that is unmatched 

A woman 

That has lost 

I said lost 

My identity over and over again 

but do you hear me?

I am blossoming 

Rising 

I have stitched every fiber of myself back together 

Can you believe it? 

In a world that 

Thrives on 

Division 

And even repetition 

Can history be stopped?

Is human decency too far gone

Why must we control others 

It is sickening 

Now listen closely 

Pain comes and 

Goes 

In many forms 

We all have stories 

That need to be heard 

We all have scars 

That need to be mended 

Now listen

Listen closely 

Learn 

and

Acknowledge each other 

For every story is different 

And let’s 

Stop repeating history 

And remember empathy and courage 

For we all need it

Wildflower

Her Womanhood

This is a poem inspired by the story of Summer. This story is about embracing all of your womanhood and girl power within each other.

 

She is a woman 

That has 

Flourished her independence strength 

Since her childhood 

 

A woman that 

Has 

Welcomed her 

Womanhood

Since the beginning 

 

She is a woman 

That has been surrounded 

By girl-power 

 

A woman that 

Was thrust 

Into a life full of sisters

 

She is a woman 

That was gifted 

The shield of 

Protection

Against sexism 

Within her family 

 

A woman that has stood in 

Her power 

But none the less

 

She is a woman

That has 

Endured

And 

Has had

Her trust fragmented 

 

A woman that has 

Experienced the absent of 

Consent being granted to her 

 

A woman that has 

Experienced a compulsive liar 

a cheater 

cheater

I said, cheater 

 

She is a woman 

That has not allowed 

These experiences 

To shatter her confidence

 

She is a woman that stands in her positivity 

Rising above 

Loving herself 

This is Summer 

Her Womanhood

Uniquely Different

This is a poem inspired by the story of Rachel. This story is about the pressures of feeling small and taking up space

 

Do you understand 

The constant pressure of navigating a rural space 

Where your identity and creativity 

Felt othered at a 

Young age 

 

Do you know the feeling of 

Being 

Uniquely Different? 

From the ups 

And the downs 

to being 

singled out 

to 

constantly 

proving your worth 

as a female sculptor

 

Even navigating the hardships that a woman can face? 

From Love bombing 

To 

Gaslighting 

A part of life that is healed

But none the less 

An exhausting 

And confusing 

One 

 

I truly hope that 

You are unfamiliar with such 

Experiences 

 

I know they placed a heavy burden on you from the start 

Made your feel othered 

But my dear

You are uniquely different 

 

You are standing in your powering 

 

Fully healed 

Blooming 

And 

Granting yourself and others 

Space to just exist 

 

This is Rachel fully shining 

Uniquely Different