Bog Myrtle V

by Pansy Maurer-Alvarez     from a series of coiled basket forms     by Anna S. King， textile artist     Take bog myrtle     that unprepossessing marshland shrub     with a beautiful aroma when crushed     Put under the brow bands of childhood ponies     to keep the flies away and now a reminder     of weekends on the west coast of Scotland     Bunches brought back to work with     aware of the option of holding something back     when lost in the hypnotic rhythm of weaving     I push the energy of contemplation from mind into fingers     to this concentration of textures    centrifugally formed：     pine needles woven with waxed cotton；     sprigs of bog myrtle   stand encircling the form     their tips rising above the central hollow of the basket——     that space     containing   and    concealing     or offering you a place to release     your disturbingly secretive     self     to yourself