About the work.
Your Becoming is My Joy begins with a two-part poem, originally titled For You, from my 2023 collection Messy. That collection revolved around love—who I loved, who loved me—throughout my first two years post-migration.
One poem, written for my wife, evolved into something more: a tufted rug, made with the gun she gifted me for my 28th birthday.
I love this rug.
It’s simple—black and blue, cotton on canvas—with a single line of poetry woven in:
"Your Becoming Is My Joy."
Watching her become—her journey as a trans fem non-binary queen—has mirrored and challenged my own ideas about gender and sexuality.
I’ve had to unlearn the idea of a linear timeline, to sit with waiting, to rely on the state for care. I’ve come to understand the difference between loving someone (or ourselves) for who they will be and loving them for who they are.
I’ve written about this at length—philosophically, emotionally, and even through the symbolism of Adinkra. When the time is right, I’ll share those thoughts on Substack. Until then, here’s a glimpse into the process.