Voyage of the Sable Venus

Today’s meetings were with one who makes mosaics, one who makes music, and one who creates environments in which children can learn and grow. Making also lights us up. 

For Solstice, Sue gave me this book of poetry by Robin Coste Lewis, including a long poem constructed from found fragments, “a narrative poem comprised solely and entirely of the titles, catalog entries, or exhibit descriptions of Western art objects in which a black female figure is present, dating from 38,000 BCE to the present.” 

For example,

Statuette of a Woman Reduced
to the Shape of a Flat Paddle

Statuette of a Black Slave Girl
Right Half of Body and Head Missing

Head of a Young Black Woman Fragment
from a Statuette of a Black Dancing Girl....

and

Chapel of the Miraculous Image
Inside the Gates of Dawn--

Nigra Sum Sed Formosa Church
of the Black Madonna:

Madonna of Succor
Our Lady of Crea

Our Lady of Peace
and Good Voyage Tanned

Madonna Black Madonna
Madonna Bruna

Black Virgin Dark Madonna
Our Most

Holy
Mother of God

Robin Coste Lewis inspires me. Her words say, "Write." In my long life, since I was six, I always thought I was going to be a writer when I grew up. I was, sort of. But I was gradually overwhelmed by doubt. I could work on that now.