Written piece
Bare Necessity
Zara Mikael
Belize
About this piece
Thread and quilt took me to covering, then to the account of Adam and Eve. They sewed leaves to cover their loins; however, God deemed it necessary to provide them with long clothing made from skin - long apparently covered more than loins. This poems describles that struggle.
Our neighbors from below find their skin bare.
They grow scales from fins to tail, leaving the eyes bare.
Our neighbors from above find their skin bare.
They grown feathers and scales. Though some are more comfortable leaving head, beak and/or neck bare.
Our neighbors from next door find their skin bare. They grow fur and/or hair, leaving - for the most part- nose, paws and nipples bare.
We also find our skin bare, but equally insufficient: our hair.
So we make perinos, silk, shearling, cashmere,
down, qiviut, vicunas, amaqusik
fish-leather, broad-tail
and many, many, many, many more.
Which part do you leave bare?