I Am Enough | Oil Painting by Connie D. Phillips

I Am Enough is an original oil painting by Choctaw artist Connie D. Phillips. A figurative work about presence, being, and unapologetically breathing. With its companion poem Holitopa I see you hiding in the quiet, Small and still, making yourself less As if to apologize for your presence. Hands beneath your elbows Clamped at your waist Lest you burst the moment you let go. Your heart pounds like drumbeats, Ancient rhythms of forbidden dances They echo in your bones. I hear your whispers. Your songs sacrificed for breath. Sing sister-let your voice ride Mahli. Wrap yourself in Pokni's shawl. Let its weight settle on you Like a buffalo robe, heavy with Memory and prayer. Feel her power grounding you Deep into the earth mother. Know that I know you, Sacred and beloved Holitopa. The world could not be without you. - Connie D. Phillips