Notes About The Poem

Trauma

Trauma

flowers 
     spoke
          swallowed 
          her soul
painted 
     polka dots 
          led to self
          obliteration~ 
a path 
     to the 
          womb 
          of infinity.

“One day, after gazing at a pattern of red flowers on the tablecloth, I looked up to see that the ceiling, the windows, and the columns seemed to be plastered with the same red floral pattern. I saw the entire room, my entire body, and the entire universe covered with red flowers, and in that instant my soul was obliterated and I was restored, returned to infinity, to eternal time and absolute space. This was not an illusion but reality itself. I was shocked to see to the depths of my soul." 
~ Yayoi Kusama (born 1929), Infinity Net: The Autobiography of Yayoi Kusama, London 2011.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2026

Poem

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Etgen-Baker Avatar
January 4, 2026 at 7:13 AM
wow, what an incredible experience you've captured in your poem. Kusama would be delighted. Faving
Achara Avatar
January 4, 2026 at 7:24 AM
Thank you.
Springs Avatar
January 2, 2026 at 12:02 AM
Chetta, if her soul has been obliterated, how can she see to its depths? Just a nagging question.
Achara Avatar
January 2, 2026 at 12:27 AM
I don’t know. The artist experienced horrible childhood trauma resulting in mental illness. The human mind is both a wonder and an enigma. I will most likely read her autobiography. This poem is inspired by the briefest information about her.
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