Unbound Issue 3 | Page 12

POETRY

THREE POEMS

THREE

Photography by Crystal Toole

POEMS

THE DATE

By Mary-Celeste Schreuder
Do you remember that smothered summer night so long ago when I was just a girl ? You sent me dancing , a ritual of sorts , to learn what I should be .
In preparation , you snatched me like a paper doll bending the edges of the red dress round my scrawny shoulders , lined with black lace clinging far above the knee .
Do you remember how you rouged my cheeks , curled my straight locks , rubbed off the dirt with a damp towel that made me itch ? The making of a woman . Then propped me up against the barren wall , zoomed in and shot , immortalizing the moment . Later framing — trapping me behind the glass . Imprisoned but not unseen .
Do you remember how later that night I placed the paper napkin on my lap and crossed my legs ? Mimicking the lovely ladies whose eyes hovered around me , heads bent in submission , straining to hear the omnipotent grunt of their man — pleasured .

ARTIST ’ S STATEMENT

For me art and creating is an outlet and an avenue to get closer to God . Through art I can experience his purpose in creating us . I love beauty and believe that everyone is beautiful and deserves a chance to shine . When I got involved in trafficking ministries I quickly found that it hit close to home . Abuse and neglect are no stranger in my family ’ s history and I am excited that our chains have been broken . I pray for everyone to be able to escape the bonds of slavery and abuse . I studied art at Hope College and graduated with a degree in studio art . I have two beautiful children and one adopted child on the way . My husband and I have been married for 10 years and we reside in Holland , Michigan .
Crystal Toole

MEETING A

SURVIVOR
When we first met I was a torrent . An ocean of waves , swirling thoughts pushing and pulling across my mind .
flooding your embers of irradiated secrets , until I was stilled ; quieted by the truth you held in your hands — a gift .

HUSTLER

By Mary-Celeste Schreuder

POET ’ S

STATEMENT
By Mary-Celeste Schreuder
And there you were with the past of a deepest nightmare hidden behind a barrier of walls , tucked into the dark .
But it was reckless to be there , you having just survived , still living in shadow and mea like a too bright light
So that next time , I would be a pool where another could dip their toes , and somehow , someway , find something … resembling peace .
Your girl was a box at first so open — she let you crawl in , a comfortable space .
Taking your place , eliciting chains : you trapped her from the inside out .
Striking her walls , “ love ” you reassured as she weakened under resistance and time .
Then one night , she finally succumbed , crushed to one dimension . You stood ; walked away .
And in the morning , the wind dispersed her tattered pieces — fractured and forgotten .
I am originally from Minnesota but now live and work in Oxford , England as an English language teacher . My poems have appeared in the National Gallery of Writing and The Broad River Review . Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to share my work .
Mary-Celeste Schreuder
21
22