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Dealt in Shame, Reclaimed My Name Standard Postcard
Dealt in Shame, Reclaimed My Name Standard Postcard
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From my hands to your space—this is a print of a genuinely original, hand-cut collage—one-of-a-kind in spirit, created with love by ME.
"Dealt in Shame, Reclaimed My Name" By Pamela A. Karanova
They told me I was lucky.
That I had been chosen.
But the cards I was dealt? Torn. Faded. Lied on. Folded before I ever got to play.
My life began like a magician’s trick—smoke and mirrors, sealed records, and smiling strangers holding me like a prize they’d won. But I wasn’t a prize. I was a person. And somewhere, someone had decided that the truth wasn’t mine to keep.
For years, I wore their story like a second skin.
“You’re so loved.”
“You’re better off.”
“Don’t be ungrateful.”
The world handed me clubs and spades, blackened with shame, each card reminding me I was expected to play happy while mourning silently. I didn’t know my real name. I didn’t know where I came from. I didn’t even know I had the right to ask.
Until one day, I did.
And that’s where this collage was born—from the wreckage of that lie.
A face peeking through the unzipped illusion, eyes wide open, finally seeing.
Playing cards tossed like shrapnel, scattered truths finally laid out for me to confront.
A rotary phone no one ever picked up.
Clocks without hands—time stolen, identity delayed.
Candles burning for the versions of me that never got to be born.
But look again.
See that zipper? That’s me unsealing the silence.
That’s me reclaiming what they said I couldn’t have.
That’s me digging through the chaos, through every mislabeled record, every gaslighted feeling, and saying: No more.
The queen card?
I placed her myself.
I’m not their fantasy. I’m my own real.
I didn’t choose these cards, but I reshuffled the damn deck.
I traced the roots they told me to forget. I spoke the name they tried to erase. I lit the candle not in mourning, but in honor. Of who I was. Of who I am.
They dealt me in shame.
But I reclaimed my name.
And now? I play my own game.
*This Karanova Kollage message might be rooted in the adoptee experience—because I’m adopted—but its meaning is wide open. Don’t let not being adopted stop you from grabbing an exclusive copy. Art is art—it doesn’t fit in a box. Share it with friends, family, or someone who needs a spark of something real and eclectic.
These postcards are made from thick high-quality matte paper, so they serve as a great addition to a gift or just a thoughtful written note to a friend.
• Cardboard paper
• Paper weight: 7.67–10.32 oz/yd² (260–350 g/m²)
• Size: 4″ × 6″ (101 × 152 mm)
• Paper thickness: 0.013″ (0.34 mm)
• Coated outer surface
• Blank product materials sourced from Sweden, US, Brazil, or China
"Dealt in Shame, Reclaimed My Name" By Pamela A. Karanova
They told me I was lucky.
That I had been chosen.
But the cards I was dealt? Torn. Faded. Lied on. Folded before I ever got to play.
My life began like a magician’s trick—smoke and mirrors, sealed records, and smiling strangers holding me like a prize they’d won. But I wasn’t a prize. I was a person. And somewhere, someone had decided that the truth wasn’t mine to keep.
For years, I wore their story like a second skin.
“You’re so loved.”
“You’re better off.”
“Don’t be ungrateful.”
The world handed me clubs and spades, blackened with shame, each card reminding me I was expected to play happy while mourning silently. I didn’t know my real name. I didn’t know where I came from. I didn’t even know I had the right to ask.
Until one day, I did.
And that’s where this collage was born—from the wreckage of that lie.
A face peeking through the unzipped illusion, eyes wide open, finally seeing.
Playing cards tossed like shrapnel, scattered truths finally laid out for me to confront.
A rotary phone no one ever picked up.
Clocks without hands—time stolen, identity delayed.
Candles burning for the versions of me that never got to be born.
But look again.
See that zipper? That’s me unsealing the silence.
That’s me reclaiming what they said I couldn’t have.
That’s me digging through the chaos, through every mislabeled record, every gaslighted feeling, and saying: No more.
The queen card?
I placed her myself.
I’m not their fantasy. I’m my own real.
I didn’t choose these cards, but I reshuffled the damn deck.
I traced the roots they told me to forget. I spoke the name they tried to erase. I lit the candle not in mourning, but in honor. Of who I was. Of who I am.
They dealt me in shame.
But I reclaimed my name.
And now? I play my own game.
*This Karanova Kollage message might be rooted in the adoptee experience—because I’m adopted—but its meaning is wide open. Don’t let not being adopted stop you from grabbing an exclusive copy. Art is art—it doesn’t fit in a box. Share it with friends, family, or someone who needs a spark of something real and eclectic.
These postcards are made from thick high-quality matte paper, so they serve as a great addition to a gift or just a thoughtful written note to a friend.
• Cardboard paper
• Paper weight: 7.67–10.32 oz/yd² (260–350 g/m²)
• Size: 4″ × 6″ (101 × 152 mm)
• Paper thickness: 0.013″ (0.34 mm)
• Coated outer surface
• Blank product materials sourced from Sweden, US, Brazil, or China
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