Akua Lezli Hope
New York, USA
http://www.akuadesigns.etsy.com
http://www.zencrochet.blogspot.com
My whole wide world constricted in November 2005 when transverse myelitis struck, leaving me paralyzed. My glass and large paper art, poetry and short story workshops in the schools, poetry readings presented, people visited, places frequented, are all beyond me, as there is no assistance, no support system and no paratransit where I live.
I am an orphan and alone. Pain is a constant. Through prayer, tears, dreams, words, and fiber, I struggle to create anew. I reach out with my mind and work to make the world better. The red symbolizes a chakra and my pain. The red ascends to yellow. The seven cowrie shells, symbolic of the maternal and the sea, are on an ascension ladder. The yellow skyscraper stands for my birthplace (Manhattan) and aspiration. The figure’s long hair is the stream of my dreams. Green ( heart chakra color)predominates because I once gardened fervently, I make paper from plants, and I love Mother Earth.