This Too Shall Pass
44 x 29 inches
Screenprint ink, screenprint, upcycled fabric, tassel fringe trim, soft pastel, fabric, glass and metal beads, vintage patches, and yarn
To understand the joyous part and how precious that is, you have to understand the not so joyous part:
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