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Sapient Soul (Marlanda Dekine) has invited the audience to join her creative process as they reflect on Job 10:10-12:8 to create "Diptych: Unpacking the Self," the first poem in a collection as Spark+Echo Arts' 2020 Artist in Residence.

Job 10:10-12:8

2020 Artist in Residence: Marlanda Dekine

By 

Marlanda Dekine

Note: Parts of the artist’s work contain strong language and may not be suitable for all audiences.

Credits: 

Curated by: 

Spark & Echo Arts, Artist in Residence 2020

2020

Poetry/Spoken Word

Image by Giorgio Trovato

Primary Scripture

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Sapient Soul's project FREE/WRITE will engage the Bible with stillness, spontaneity, and automatic writing. Videos will demonstrate steps 1-5 outlined below:


  1. Poet meditates with Insight Timer app or in silence. The guided meditation used in this video is by Naomi Goodlet.

  2. Poet turns to a random page in the Bible.

  3. Poet chooses a passage that has not been illuminated.

4. Poet writes, without the pen leaving the page, for a minimum of five minutes. This is automatic writing or a free-write.

5. Poet edits the free-write into poetry.


You are encouraged to choose a book and join Sapient Soul at home. Try it for yourself.


Unpacking The Self as reflection on Job 10:10-Job 12:8 considers how difficulty can harden us to ourselves and others. Wanting connection, we can push others away. Desiring to be seen, we can fear knowing ourselves.


Spaces of anger and victimhood ought to be visited as friends within us. Sometimes, I have become comfortable and stayed a bit too long. Even, built a home there once. Ha! May we have a friend that listens well as we unpack and let ourselves free again. May we listen when a difficult truth about ourselves is shown to us. May we express thanks for how there is so much healing available to us across space and time, through darkness and light. Ase.

From the photos above:


While Job was telling, I laughed. I cried from the right side of my right eye. One year setting there like an early Dawn. I could hear Job like I've heard myself. Complaining like it will build new mountains. New worlds. How he was in pain. How pain can turn you in on yourself. Take you to prison even after abolition wins. Take you into a cell-membraned wall of blood and gut, take you inside of yourself & you become prisoner and guard, recounting all the terrible--so if any bit of light comes for you--be doomed be doomed be doomed fuck light is what you say while your soul shines bright you say you say I've said so much & meant so little to myself I I I

Wanted to mean everything I said I desired beauty & I drummed the beat of pain like my own

New record

Are you recording this--the way the wind can snap everything into place I know now that every pain I ever knew I needed& How after we've torn at our skin our eyes our own lips broken & dry--how when the water comes for us do we act like we weren't listening to the flow--how do we lie like that & where does it go? Truth my friend requires dirt of you.

Spark Notes

The Artist's Reflection

Marlanda Dekine-Sapient Soul (she/her/they) is a poet and social worker from Plantersville, South Carolina. She is pursuing her MFA in Poetry with New York University's Low-Residency program in Paris.


Learn more about their work at sapientsoul.com.



Marlanda Dekine

About the Artist

Artist in Residence 2020, Sapient Soul (Marlanda Dekine)

Getting Lighter

Know Thyself

Marlanda Dekine

Other Works By 

Related Information
Image by Aaron Burden

i
wanted to
build new

View Full Written Work

Diptych: Unpacking the Self

by Marlanda Dekine


I.


i

wanted to

build new

worlds

from pain

imprison

myself

cell-membraned

walls

of blood and gut

i said so much

meant so little

to myself

i

i

i

drummed my pain

new

new

now I 'm

cardinal red

wind snap-

ping smiles

i know now

every pain i ever knew

was what i needed

so how when

dark water

returns

can i act like

i didn 't call her here

her precious

obsidian hard

cypress of fathomage

to make me ready


II.

when you listen

to the color

yellow with

the volume

up

hear a choir

of chaos

don 't change

channels

wait for

the moment

of mirrors

wait for

yellow to turn

purple

for the crown

of laughter

to enter

for anger

to melt

fear

friendship

to shake

you

until you

are sensing

god:


green.


soft.


woman.


from PROJECT FREE/WRITE #1


The Free/Write

by Marlanda Dekine


while job was yelling, I laughed. I cried from

the right side of my right eye. one tear

setting there like an early dawn. I could hear

Job like I 've heard myself. Complaining like

it will build new mountains, new worlds. How

he was in pain. how pain can turn you in

on yourself. Take you to prison even after

abolition wins. Take you into a cell

membraned

wall of blood and gut, take you inside

of yourself and you become prisoner and

guard, recounting all the terrible—so if

any bit of light comes for you—

be doomed be doomed be doomed

fuck light is what you say while your

soul shines bright you say you say I 've

said so much and meant so little

to myself I I I

wanted to mean everything I said

I desired beauty and I drummed

the beat of pain like my own

new record

are you recording this?—the way the

wind can snap everything into place

I know now that every pain I

ever knew I needed and how

could I smile any less, Job?

how after we 've torn at our skin

our eyes our own lips broken

and dry—how when the water

comes for us do we

act like we weren 't listening

to the flow—how do we

lie like that and where does

it go? Truth, my friend,

requires dirt of you.

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Image by Aaron Burden

i
wanted to
build new

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