Krystle MaY Statler
Benign Fruit
Photographed by Rebecca Gustavson, 2021, This piece, Benign Fruit, is a testament to the difficulties Black women and men face in seeking medical treatment and the power of awareness for our collective breast health. This piece was featured in the Black Women for Wellness Exhibit, October 1–31, 2021 at the Aziz Gallerie, 3343 W 43rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90008.
Text on the canvas reads (not pictured):
At 14, a benign tumor
THE SIZE OF THREE RIPE APPLES
in my right breast was removed.
At 23, a recurrent benign tumor
THE SIZE OF A PEACH
in my right breast was identified.
In each doctor’s visit since, I describe
THE PAIN OF A PEACH
and they reply:
“These things are normal
for women like you.”
“I know the pain seems bad, but
you just have fibrous breasts.”
“This might just be something small
you learn to live with.”
Original artwork by Krystle May Statler
Title: Benign Fruit, 2021
acrylic ink, metal, glue and 15 sonograms on canvas
11 x 14 x15 inches
Inflammable
It’s been eight years since the doctors stuck
needles to test for cancerous cells in my
fibrous breasts. I should be grateful the results
list a benign diagnosis but those results
also mean carrying the peach-sized
mass as I’m told to
monitor the pain for a few months, watch if
anything changes (it worsens). Why don’t they
believe me? They say, “you could learn to
live with it; these things are normal for women like you.”
Each check-up I wonder how much longer until my peach rots.
Krystle May Statler (she/her) is a Black multiracial artist living in Los Angeles and received her MFA from Otis College of Art & Design. She’s a co-founding editor for every other, a Los Angeles-based collective that publishes literary broadsides by writers from around the world. She serves as the Book Production manager for World Stage Press. Her artwork is featured in the Black Women for Wellness (Benign Fruit, 2021) and New Black City: A World Without Police (Trigger Fingers, 2019) exhibits. Her poems and essays are featured in 1455’s Movable Type, The Santa Fe Writers Project Quarterly, Cultural Weekly or are forthcoming. Her debut book, Losing Blood, was a finalist for the 2021 CAAPP Book Prize, judged by Douglas Kearney.
