The Chosen Artwork

 Each poem throughout Where the Flies Swarm comes with a work of art that reflects the emotions the writing conjures within me. All of the following works of art were created by myself throughout different points of time during my sex trafficking experiences. For example, the works named Reaching, Changing for Worse, and Too Many were created in high school (2010-2013), closer to the beginning of my sex trafficking story. Mask and Many Faces were created during my time in college (2013-2017), and the rest of the works were created after 2017.        

Most of these works are self-portraits. This is because through my years of trauma, as well as after exiting the trafficking world, I have used my artwork to reflect and identify elements of my mind, soul, feelings, and my internal relationship with my well-being. It took me a long time to be able to shift focus onto myself, and until that happened, I hadn't considered escape, safety, or a better life was an actual other option for me. Through my artwork, this slowly became a possibility. The more I surrounded myself with supportive people, the more they influenced me to believe that I deserved a better life, and the more I started to actually believe that narrative myself.

Focusing on myself through my life has kept me alive. I am the main character in this story, throughout this book of poetry, and in my own life. The art reflects this as well. 


I'd Rather Be Alone
from the poem Muscle for Meat
Fighting my Shadow
From the poem In the Shower

Many Faces
From the poem From Years of Rape
I'm Trying
From the poem Password Protected
Three Faces
From the Poem Nightmare
Please Tell Me Who I Am
From the Poem Strength of Mind

Too Many
From the poem Don't Fall Asleep
The Scream
From the poem Fire

Blood
From the poem His Face

Mask
From the poem Mother
Reaching
From the Poem Eight Years Old
Which One Am I?
From the poem The Lines 

Us in Pink and Green
From the poem I Wanted to Keep It - Tantrum
Still Amidst the Pain
From the poem I Wanted to Keep it - Forgotten

Changing for Worse
From the poem Torture
Hard Conversations
From the poem Seventy Times Seven

Growing
From the poem Inside Myself





















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