by Sekai Abeni

I’ve written this piece from the perspective of Nancy Elizabeth Prophet.

In the last piece, "domestic," Prophet was talking to her artistic side.  In this piece, she has switched and has indulged her artistic side.   She has gone to Paris and is now writing to domestic work, or better yet, the part of her that kept her there and didn’t allow her to grow.

Dear you,

Have you ever created in the dark?
In Paris at 1:23 am?
And gone out for a cappuccino after?
I have

Wind brushes me
In a whirlpool
And this time
I didn’t drown

I know you don't believe me
But I held my head above water

I’ve stood in the eye of the hurricane
Once you successfully light the cigarette
It's not that bad

Did you know that it only takes
One ocean
Four trains
Castor oil
One boat
And
Three months
To heal

You wouldn't imagine
What I've done
I heard myself think again
In the middle of the night
It was so loud it woke me up

I cried so much
It’s my personal theory
It started the whirlpool
I carved you last night

And I'll carve me tomorrow

While I miss you
I’m not sure when
I’m coming back

I just met myself
And it would be a shame
To say goodbye
So soon

 Elizabeth Prophet, sculptress and teacher
National Archives and Records Administration