by STANLEY KUNITZ
The layers of my life
build upon each other:
some are thin - short-lived;
some are over-shadowed;
some are messy, complicated.
Always I was loved
but did I love myself?
Do I love myself?
The third age approaches -
what possibilities?
What will be revealed?
What will I reveal?
How will I be transformed?
Parker J Palmer wrote of the layers,
"Yes, all of this is me,
and all of this has helped make me who I am."
I will honour all that has helped make me who I am.
I assembled the doll
and then randomly stitched on the layers
using a selection of fabrics, trims and threads.
Parts of the layers have been over-shadowed with black tulle.
I think they represent very traumatic times in my life.
I called this figure Lizzie's Pou
as it represents my life story thus far.
(a pou refers to the carved poles relating the ancestor's stories
found in Te Arawa wharenui (meeting houses).