I undid the tangles in my mother’s yarn
the unraveling of afternoons,
of scented Shalimar
and measured sighs
knit and pearled into stitches
from the strands I gave her
her hands performed as percussionist,
clicking needles attacking the skeins
taking hold of what is offered
changing it into what is wanted
love lavished where it is vacant
whispered where it will be heard
locked where it will not be taken back.
Author notes
1. Knitting is a traditional ID of women. Method of reclaiming identity &
space.
2. Knitting is a physical manifestation of grief & anger (similar to the
AIDS quilt or domestic violence T-shirts)
3. Knitting provides a cover for women's solidarity norms to emerge.
4. Along with gardening and crafting, knitting meshes well with increasing
solidarity along young anarchists. Strains of neo-ludditism filtered
through self-actualization of crafting.
best, maxwell, marist college (I love this quote and it is exactly what I am trying to say in this poem-Man of Harlech)
A contest entry
- Whispering by CarolDesjarlais.
900 points, ended April 9, 2008, 11 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Tell Me What You ... by sassykitty.
390 points, ended June 1, 2008, 11 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Bring Me Your Gold by piccola.
900 points, ended December 1, 2008, 3 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 11 of 11
-
A beautiful, heartwarming touching write. The notes were interesting and made me think of all the pairs of socks my mom knit the year my dad died. She just kept knitting and knitting.
It also made me think of Mme. Defarge. There's your anger! Enjoyed this write very much.
Congrats on your trophies.
-
beautiful title. It drew me in. I crochet ... well I did before I started losing the use of my left hand. I never did learn to knit. Maybe my writing is part of my ID .. anyway, this is a gentle, well written piece. The scent I leave behind will be Clinique Wrappings or Rive Gauche ... maybe a mix.
-
lovely
especially the shalimar reference.
if only my offspring will remember me like that...
and love the image of the whispered love never to be taken back. who can ask for more?
-
Lovely, my mother knitted when she was living and my grandmother crocheted. My daught recently had my second grandson and my grandmother who has passed away , her best friend of 83yrs old knitted my grandson a beautiful blanket, in yellow yarn with a bit of sparkle to it. While reading your words I found it most fitting for I just recieved the blanket yesterday to give to my daughter. Well done, I did enjoy it..thanks for sharing
-
Very Good
Awesome breadth of vocabulary!!! Sublime metaphors!!! -
love is to be grab....
Cuz it "lavished" and the inflation of romance lowered the value while making the prices up!
-
wow!
this is a brilliantly written evocation of how you feel, and i really do like the use of extended metaphor and imagery. the employment of music adds to the aural imagery and that's so effective. thanks for sharing such a great write and good luck in the competition. i'm not surprised this has already won a gold, you are obviously a very talented writer.cheers. -
This is a great poem.
You are a great poet.
-
Congratulations. It took me back to my grandmom, where even the boys were taught to knit - I think to keep us from getting into trouble!! Frans
-
Good job...thanks for following the heads up.
-
Oh such a great great poem...and all the inferences, I know...
could you check this please: ":where is will be heard"
Adding your comment:
1 - 11 of 11
