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
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
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
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
This Too Shall Pass
This is a poem inspired by the story of my friend, Iris. This story is about appreciating the feeling of fresh sunshine entering your soul for the first time and appreciating the joy she is able to experience in her life now.
Since age 4 or 5
The word happiness
Has faded
To only become an illusion
Something that didn’t feel achievable
To a child
That lived out of a duffel bag
Filled of
PTSD
And anxiety
The constant moving
And the constant
Change
Never feeling secure
Thrusted into a culture...
The South
Georgia to be Exact
A place that was like no other
A sinister place
That has a checkered past
For many reasons
A time, when she
Felt like an outsider
Raised in practically a cult
Constantly being pulled
In multiple directions
The constant
Stomachaches
Filled full of anxiety
The weight of it all constantly crushing her
Even to this day
Different layers of trauma folding in on top of each other
Thrusted into a
Toxic relationship from both
Mentally and
physically
By the age of 20
The security and peace had been fully stripped
Every sexual interaction had been forcefully
Made
But do not despair
Here is when the good parts start to trickle in
Breathing for the first time became
Easier
Like the sun rising in the morning
Everything begins to come alive
Today
Joy has been more present
Than
The last 29 years
Grateful for the finding a
Level of contentment
A space that brings
Gratitude
But questioning of
Happiness
A concept that is on
A constant cycle
And something that we are persistently battling to experience
But leaves you pondering
What parts of you are left?
Today
Living in a state of security within yourself
Finding a feeling of
Consistent contentment
Honoring the acts of
Being
Self-sufficient
To acknowledging the toll that society places on
Both men and women
Embracing
That
This to shall pass
So, I must leave you with this…
History must be changed but in order for history to change
You need to change the characteristics of mankind
And in order to do that
One must acknowledge that
The lust for power
Must be erased
This is Iris
A Lifetime of Being Between Two Things
This is a poem inspired by the story of Adrienne. This story is about acknowledging your duality, stepping into your value, and seeking an equal playing field for all people.
What does it feel like
To be true to
Love?
Thrust into a life
Of
Being split
Between
Two things
A child that was exposed to pain
I say again, what does it feel
like to be true
to love?
Confronted with
The agony
Of constant
Fighting
For years to come
Further
Instilling in a child
That dysfunctional and toxic
Relationships
Were normal
Childhood is over
Now
There is a shift in the wind
But
Pain is still present
Rushing in
here and there
The incessant
search
For what does it feel like
to be true
To love?
To being
Confronted
with the incomparable
trauma
and pain
of an ex-husband
cheating
and awareness of this betrayal on
their child’s
birthday
no less
Questions rushing in
swirling all around
of
What is an affair?
How does one handle this?
What is heart break?
How does one continue to embrace true love
When
society
tells you to shove
And hide your feelings
That divorce is not a topic to be heard
Have you had the experience
The uncomfortableness
Of grieving a person
That is still breathing…
It’s unthinkable
The pain
Still trickling in
Like a leaking
Faucet
Sprinkling in
Love bombing
Gaslighting
But now
Awakening
Like daffodils on the first day of Spring
Every limb in motion
Intertwining with the presence of
Inner strength
and
Allowing
A life of living with a loving ethic
To come to fruition
To be true
To love
Is to welcome your duality
The feminine
Masculine
And all the in between energy
Grounded within intuitive power
Seeking to change history
By
Granting equality for everyone
For everyone
Deserves to grasp
Onto happiness
This is Adrienne fully unmasked
Love That Women Could Mother
This is a collaboration poem with Jeni. This story is about a woman navigating the full extent of hardships that women can face to heal, grow, and blossom into the woman she is now.
A living canvas of resilience and grace,
Endured through a landscape of trials,
An odyssey of pain etched beyond her years.
From the childhood echoes of otherness,
To the predatory eyes of men at merely ten,
She knows the weight of being both prey and prize,
The burden of an object in someone's gaze.
The pain continues, a relentless tide,
Spilling like ketchup, igniting further anguish,
Flung in the air, then slammed into the sandy shore,
Punch after punch, saved only by chance passersby.
1, 2, 3, 4 years pass, but change eludes her,
Choked and nearly left for the cold embrace of death,
Apologies ring hollow, whispers of respite,
Eclipsed swiftly by threats and the shadow of a gun.
The dream of a tranquil haven, shattered,
By the violent hands that felled a pregnant form,
Yet the story stirs, like a hyacinth awakening,
After the bleak winter's desolate reign.
Now, she blooms, a testament to her strength,
Walking away from the crucible of abuse,
A mother of two, a soul ablaze with singularity,
Celebrating the curves of womanhood,
The essence of her femininity as her armor.
Jeni, who longs for a world where life is tenderly mothered,
Where nurturing hands could mend our fractured earth,
A poem of hope, a living testament to resilience,
This is Jeni, stepping into her feminine power and flourishing
Pink is for Girls and Blue is For Boys
This is a poem inspired by the story of Mariel. This story is about a woman stepping into her power, setting herself free, and wishing for change.
She was brought up in a society
That convinced her that a mask was the only way to navigate
This unforgiving world
A society
That spelled out with brutal clarity
That pink was for girls
And
That blue was for boys
A society
That said she was doing it all wrong
At age 6
Her home, a third world country
That was behind with freedom
And
Even freedom of speech
Her home, I mean her confidante
And even
The Catholic church
Disregarded and walked out when the phrase
“I think I like a girl…”
Now, it’s 2023
the mask has come off
She is staying honest
Disinterested in the judgment
Of society
Even people
She is embracing her truest self
And
Not allowing someone’s comments doubt herself
Her story is not over
She is still flourishing
Stepping into her power
The power of being free
And wishing to give
Women a voice much sooner
This is Mariel
Stories of Remembrance
Stories of Remembrance explores the past. The artist is reliving happy moments from her childhood, her love for horses, and being a cowgirl. A part of her that she tried to burry to fit in. Stories of Remembrance is Roebuck reclaiming her roots and celebrating where she has come from. There is no hiding but embracing it all.
Daffodil
Daffodil piece explores themes of triumph and acceptance. This piece is celebrating stepping out of the woods and embracing your true self. The figure is surrounded by daffodil flowers that symbolize rebirth and new beginnings. More specifically, daffodils symbolize the end of dark days. Daffodil is depicting the triumph of shedding the past, to welcome your fully healed self.
I Am Still Standing, Yeah Yeah
I am Still Standing, Yeah Yeah explores the themes of pain and celebration. In 2023, Roebuck’s papa had a stroke, a period of time that Roebuck was unsure of what was to come. The pain of potentially losing her papa is ever present in this piece. Whilst examining fears, Roebuck is celebrating life and how her papa persevered. This piece is also a reflection of Roebuck growing up on a farm, all that her papa has taught her, and how he showed Roebuck to love life. I am Still Standing, Yeah Yeah is about reclaiming parts of your past, mending fears and acknowledging that life is unpredictable, in addition to stepping into your full self.
Walk Tall Series
Walk Tall Series reflects on a specific family saying that Roebuck grew up hearing on her family’s farm. Roebuck is exploring hers and her brother’s childhood memories (joyous moments) and ramification of hearing “Walk Tall” and “Suck it Up”. This series is an acknowledgement of the past being mended.
