For these two pages, I wanted to show a comparison between the calm and peace and introspection of Mary and on the other page to show the chaos of what her travail had to be.
On the next page you see where I have tucked a poem I have written from my own hurt place.
Chosen Sign
it
matters not how she became she
became they say
a
girl she was barely into menses if at all
Gabriel Joseph
such turmoil tossed
nothing
more than a waif to be bartered
as
was custom damned sacrifice she taught him well
how
to be chosen
widow
had to take second best I am sure
saving
her from despise probably stoning
now
she owed him sand and grit backbone
of
desert and donkey always less than
some
slaughtered sign she was chosen for
her
parents decided their daughter was holy
who has not
decided
to keep her well reined until her lamp was lit
and
some old man kissed her in welcome
led
her not like any other burden along with young friends
who
should have been whispering little girl secrets
into
little doll's ears it could have been
done differently
but
men needed some kind of miracle
someone
decided she was to be The Chosen One
was
contempt not enough was months of
travail
only
to be offered a cave where to curl into her creation
fraught
with first baby birthing pain enough
to sense forgiveness
which
would never come ever sensing some
cross to bear
hers and his she was chosen for this
oh how men chose to make something more of
all this
barely
mentioning her name less her trouble
they
saw light but were confused heard birds still
but
were afraid sudden appearance of
camels and kings
of
angels and animals gifts and
glory bespoke men
who
gathered where were her sisters where were mothers
where
were aunties where were grandmothers
such
an innocent child both compelled to be chosen
kneeling
in her confinement tending inner
gardens
knotted
garments awaiting some male they
could chose
to
tie himself to her oh chaste not by choice
but
by demand for the story to be the story
chosen
except
there was little more than a chuffing of sand
described that defined her all the little details
deemed
unnecessary for history to know and recall
ah but she was fruitful she would bear him in birth
bear
his death and then passed on to another
man
to
keep her in line with the tale tall on woe
more
than one miracle was needed
Elizabeth they say
womb
as withered as last year's fruit
called her to come
load
more donkeys enquire of escorts to
aid her
to
meet another favored female both
favors
to
be recalled at a whim that kept some supernatural story going
about
being chosen
yes in sorrow was he borne and born she waiting on his first
breath his last oh
in a man's world
that
gives rise to hymns and statues
but
know little of her truths was she
fair was she stocky
was
she led like lamb to a slaughter too
of
course she was little sister little daughter kept like calves
are
kept for veal at a rich men's supper
chosen
©Carol
Desjarlais 11.22.18
I have two gift symbols that open up to show symbols and numbers and the moon phase and date, that go along with December's page.
I have used a piece of round magnet to keep the one closed.
I have also used some stamps, the tree and the woman stamp, that I made myself out of craft foam. The word December is made of pressed cardboard letters that I painted red. The little balls on the tree were made of little round sticky circles. The feather symbols are also stamped.
Again, I have left areas to write on later.
How beautiful, and sorrowful, also. Yes, we cannot really know of her pain and her travail. I wish there was more written about her journey.
ReplyDeleteYes, me too! She is only mention, as if in passing, something exterior to all that happened.
ReplyDelete