How to Build a Throne

“The answers you get depend upon the questions you ask”
Thomas Kuhn

My thanks to Charlene for helping me to see the potential in the bones of the pesky chair project (read more about the beginnings here). She took one look at it sitting on top of the table, said it looked like a throne, and asked the crucial question…”what is symbolic about that chair?”.

Her question opened a door for me and I stepped onto the stage of my imagination. What would I do next if I was building a throne for myself? I took ownership of that chair, if just for awhile, and turned hesitation into momentum. Each time I felt myself bogging down in the details, in the how-tos, in the fear of failure, I returned to the question. I jotted down words: throne, queen of myself, foundation, resiliancy. A pattern emerged. The chair was symbolic of how I wanted to live. So here is the poem it inspired and the finished product.

How to Build a Throne

First, imagine being queen of yourself.
Then, take existing chair
and tear it down,
down to the bones.
Clean and polish the wood with devotion,
add woven webbing for a strong foundation.
Next a dash of resiliancy: nine springs
tied once, twice, thrice… eight times across.
Tear it apart and do it again.
Tear it apart and do it yet again.
And one more time to get it right.
Now there is patience and persistence built right in.
Add a layer of burlap for humility
for holding things together
then wash the old horsehair
to cleanse the past.

Pat the clean horse hair in place to support your wild animal self
then add cotton for comfort, a layer or two,
a muslin chamisole before the final robe,
rich velvet
green for growth
green for prosperity
green for spring and new beginnings.
Remember all the people who led you here
and your birthright to Queen-ness.
Now, slowly, as if you are walking the royal aisle
add embelishment for beauty,
for the crown.
Celebrate with Pomp and Circumstance
then ascend
you have arrived
Your Throne.