Womxn, rendered (w)hole (2020)
Civic Center McNichols Building — Denver, CO
mixed media collage
48'“ x 48”
Writing for womxn, rendered (w)hole
By Courtney E. Morgan
She was born from a spoonful of earth, carved from the crust of the world by Mother—who wanted to make something that resembled Herself. But part of the Mother is broken—a cracked and fallen vase spilling out the waters of the world. So too was womxn born cracked, in her image. And the Mother saw her, and proclaimed her Good.
But the world is a mirror and around her it cracked and crumbled. And afraid of her ability to crack and yet not crumble, the world around womxn fractured into pieces and opened into a yawning hole—and womxn, walking by, dropped inside.
And as she fell, the angry world tore the lips from her mouth, leaving a gaping hole, and tore an eye from its socket, leaving an empty hole, and tore the nipple from her breast, leaving a gaping hole, and tore the voice from her throat, leaving an emptied hole.
And womxn landed at the bottom of the gaping hole of the earth, riddled with holes and empty, and unable to cry out from an empty mouth and hollowed voice.
With her one eye, womxn began to cry saltwater, and when the tears hit the earth they grew into seeds and the seeds grew into stalks and the stalks grew into babies and the babies grew into womxn and the womxn were full of holes.
And the womxn made a ladder of their bodies and the womxn climbed to the lip of the hole and then higher, to the lip of the sky, and then higher, to the mouth of the stars, and one by one they plucked fragments of lit dust like teeth and placed them into the socket of their eyes, and the nipple of their breasts, and the maw of their mouths, and the empty space at their throats. And their holes were still holes, but now full.
One by one they climbed down the ladder of themselves. And up the ladder of themselves. And met on the earth and enshrouded it. The holes of them holes filled with stardust.
And with their new mouths womxn made a sound. And the sound was the word. And with the word was the world remade.