Prayer Book

My book is based around the concept of prayer. With this piece, I asked myself, what does prayer mean for me? Where in myself do I find a sense of spirituality? As someone who is not religious and who grew up with very non-religious parents, I never really learned the practice of prayer. Now, as an adult, I am needing to find ways to connect with myself, and more broadly, the universe. My poetry book, titled Prayers, or Book of Prayers, examines my wants, my questions, my needs, and matters in life. It is tender, quiet and personal, like what I imagine a prayer to be.

I created a clamshell box for my book and a couple of other items inside. These items include a candle and a small glass jar of matches. A candlestick is embedded into the clamshell box. Inside, the box is adorned with lace. My intention is for the reader to place the candle into the candlestick and light it with the matches provided. This action signals a ritual, much like prayer can be a ritual. After lighting the candle, the reader can remove my book with the lifting ribbon. My book is covered in a creamy cotton cloth, and embossed in gold. The end pages are gold as well. My poetry is divided into four parts, each dealing with different kinds of prayers. The first section are prayers of gratitude, the second are aspirations, the third are questions, and the last are reflections and final thoughts.