We all have secret selves — things we like, and things we don’t. I started this project, “Divine Layers,” thinking about things I *don’t* really like about myself. But, as I continued to work, and as the shapes and images and words evolved, I found the work evolving, too.

What if we celebrated our flaws? What if we celebrated the magic of what’s inside us — even the parts we will never see? The parts doing their jobs daily, faithfully. We’re all pretty major miracles when you think about it.

This book is a set of three stacking dolls made of torn paper bags and glue. I build layers upon them so they’re tough enough to withstand piercing and heavy embroidery. I even beaded a heart on the front — something special to remind myself of how precious self love is.

Loosely inspired by Whitman — emphasis on loosely — and featuring an embarassing underpants layer, and a gory/gooey/lovely inside because that’s just how I am, here it is:

Divine Layers

I sing a song of wonder as a lover, maker, mother
and exalt my divine layers and the brilliance each conveys

Behold my clever packaging! So soft, so freckled, toe to chin,
a body marked by history, a restless map of memory.

Thank you, blood and engines hidden: rivers flow to tasks unbidden.
I praise each vessel’s mission sworn, each steady breath, each waking morn.