Embroider Me III and a Little Bit of Clarity

I am often too tired to write long, intellectual posts or to do many other things that I would like to do, but in those times, I am finding it much easier to take refuge in my creativity. Instead of long, feminist rants, I am writing short, insightful poetry and instead of using my legs to take me on the long walks that I used to love, I am using my fingers to sew and embroider.

Thursday, I wrote this poem after showing my therapist my embroidered bags for the first time and she agreed that I might be able to make a little money by selling them at craft shows, which gives me a great feeling. I set up another site, called Femi-Nation, in order to be more political and "radical," but I am having to rethink whether I should continue it, since I am too tired to keep up with it in the way that I had intended. I am also rethinking what I am called to be. It is becoming ever more clear to me that I need to focus more on my recovery and on doing things that are positive than on dwelling on the awful injustices in the world. As much as I would love to fix all the world's problems, I have to start with my own and I can only do what I am able to do and it is just becoming more clear that I need to keep my mind in a positive place.

Deep Inside

To reach deep inside of myself
And pull out all that is important-
All the stuff, the matter, of particles and atoms
That make up my cosmos
Are inside of me and my heart.

And I fling my art onto the world
Of pre-made dinners, processed cheese, and
Lies of ease.

And all that was within looks pale,
But the world outside looks even more
Ghostly white.

And here are my two latest embroidered creations:
This is actually an embroidered picture of a cake that my minister's mother made for Easter a few years ago! There are pink beads and yarn was used for the eyes, nose, and mouth.
This picture was taken in 2007 in a New Orleans cemetary and is my most intricate piece of work so far. I used faux flowers, beads, and the cross is actually an old earring.

Both images are sewn onto a super soft 100% cotton tote. They are 13-1/2" x 13-1/2" x 3-1/2" with the straps being 16."