I Grew. 2016. Hand embroidery on linen. 22 x 16 in. (55.9 x 41 cm)

I grew, rustling like a reed,
Out of a dangerous swamp,
Breathing the air of a forbidden life
With rapture, languor, caresses.

In my cold and marshy refuge
No one notices me,
And I am welcomed by the whisper
Of short autumn minutes.

I enjoy this cruel injury
And in a life like a dream
Secretly am envious of everyone —
And secretly enamoured.

                — Osip Mandelshtam