Journeys From The Journey -
Textile Narratives
June 20
The first light of freedom.
The distant gleam of the
North Star giving birth to
sunrise on the horizon.
Close enough to touch,
yet deceptively out of reach.
Years delayed, and
years deferred.
What does my
light of freedom feel like?
Breath that is finally mine,
standing a bit taller,
shoulders of shame
straightened,
backs unburdened.
Facing the morning,
stepping into the unknown,
carrying scars of the familiar
as the darkness of oppression is
chased from the sky.
David and Goliath
Team David reporting for duty,
here to slay not one but
two Goliaths, cancer and COVID!
Careful, don’t look at them,
they are so loud and scary.
We need a sling and stone!
How about a block of wood? And a uniform!
Maybe we’ll slay with a
bright and happy font.
We want LeBron James
on his side! If you can't carve his face exactly, use his number.
He’ll recognize him!
I wish we could see each other.
You looked good in your
shirt on Marco Polo.
Dave got his print today,
and he loves it!
Dave got his scans and
they actually look good!
Don't get excited.
This is a very big GOLIATH
His numbers are better
than they thought
they would be.
P.S. Dave conquered both Goliaths.
-Team Dave email chain
Block print by storyteller
Broken Head, Soaring Spirit
The last thing I remember was the overseer raising up his arm to throw an iron weight at one of the slaves. The weight broke my skull and cut a piece of my shawl clean off and drove it into my head. They carried me to the house all bleeding and fainting. I had no bed, no place to lie down on at all, and they laid me on the seat of the loom, and I stayed there all that day and the next.
After this I experienced frequent episodes during the day of sleepiness where often my spirit leaves my body and visits other scenes and places, not only in this world, but in the world of spirits. In fact, one day, we’d been carting manure all day when suddenly I heard such music as fill all the air.
-Words of Harriet Tubman, compiled and edited for context from Balmuth and Scammell, Journal of General Internal Medicine