Artwork
By and For
Survivors of Child Abuse

"Dashboard Jesus" by Linda Ness

© Linda Ness

A clear view of the road leading through the mountains.
A rearview mirror giving clues to the past.
Religious beliefs captured in the plastic Jesus.
A throw of the dice and the luck it brings.
The salad of the here and now mixed for tomorrow.

"Bible Reading"
Linda Ness

After dinner we would read the bible while Mom would leave and tend my youngest sisters, leaving us alone with dad. We would take turns reading and

© Linda Ness

standing next to dad as we read. For years, I felt the shame of that experience as if somehow I should have done something to make it not happen. As the other kids sat around the table listening, he chose to fondle the child and masturbate while the bible was being read. It took seeing that scene on canvas for me to see the truth and release a mountain of shame. I was not to blame. I had no guilt. HE WAS THE JERK! HE WAS THE HYPOCRITE!