I step into my grandmother's small room and
ask her
How do I choose man to love ?
My grandmother's face is a clock
ticking slowly over tea cups & crochet of white circle patterns
She tells me:
Choose someone who will treat you
like a delicate lace
yet believes that you are more than just a good woman-
Someone who will
energize your orange-gold wings to scale the sky-
Or spin your feet to wheels to reach far corners of the earth-
Does his words make
you think of planting seeds & searching for lost ships ?
Or make you feel beautifully alive in dying light?
Did grandpa make you feel that way? I was curious.
He was my wing man & light of my life. I have lived a long life,
but I want to die already, she says.
Her rough & twisted fingers are knotting the patterns
webbing a silk of flowers between spaces & threads -
stitching fraying edges into womb of her belly-
I say, Grandma
Men like Grandpa are hard to find. It's like searching for a needle
among yarns, threads & silver pins in a box.
Her voice is firm above rustling of cloth:
I don't waste my time looking for the needle, but use the threads
& what I have to work my pattern & finally having used all
The needle falls into my hand to sew the last button
of my lace work.
I peer at the intricate lines on her face
- this woman who has survived WW2 & countless fires -
is a bedrock to her 4 sons & 2 step-children
And I want to be lace maker just like her.
Posted for Imaginary Garden for Real Toads - Bits of Inspiration - Lace
& D'verse Poets Pub - Conversation/Dialogue in Poetry - Hosted by Claudia ~ My grandmother died many years ago but she lived to 93 years. Thanks for the visit ~
What a beautiful and gentle poem this is, Grace. I like very much the idea of finding someone who will treat you like lace. Your grandmother sounds like a wise and strong woman.
ReplyDeleteWeaved it all like lace indeed. She sure sounds smart and some great advice too
ReplyDeleteOh do I love this poem! Grandmothers are amazing. Yours sounds wise and wonderful, and like she loved her life, whatever hardships there were. Such a wonderful description of her!!!!
ReplyDeletePrecious dialogue ............
ReplyDelete"He was my wing man & light" great use of the subject "lace" and I adore the image and metaphor of the needle falling into your hand. Her wisdom and advice will be put to good use.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful portrait you have painted here, Grace! I like the kind of advice your grandmother gave you and the interaction between the two of you via lace making.
ReplyDeleteexperienced ones always enrich us, give us strength and add joy to life...what an engaging conversation full of warmth and love...a great write
ReplyDeletesounds like your gramma has a bit of wisdom....def in considering who we will spend our life with we have to look for something deeper that will sustain us over the long run and not something fleeting that will be gone as we age......
ReplyDeletelove the image of her face like a clock and love the wisdom... the going with what we got and things will fall into place... at least that's how i read it... weaving our very own patterns of life and love
ReplyDeleteLike delicate lace - beautiful and an amazing write, just weaves its way magically into enchantment, great concept and beautifully constructed.
ReplyDeleteYou wove such love, emotion and wisdom into this. I can't tell you how beautiful I found it.
ReplyDeleteI love the delicacy of this conversation... especially the ending!
ReplyDeleteThis really touched me, as it reminded me of my late grandmother. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of her. You really captures the essence of a grandmother's love and wisdom in this poem Grace.
ReplyDeleteA truly beautiful poem Grace. >KB
ReplyDeleteThis is gentle and nice to read - the metaphor of lace and wings - soft and still powerful - and a very good advice.
ReplyDeleteBeyond gentle, beyond platitudes, the wisdom was shared without treacle, blunt yet beautiful. Love the lines /Does his words make/you think of planting seeds & searching for lost ships?/ Reminds me of the wise imaginative love story within SECOND HAND LIONS.
ReplyDeleteSuch a powerful metaphor you've woven here. Sounds like your grandmother is a remarkably wise lady!
ReplyDeleteLove! How fabric and sewing and lace making can explain everything there is to know including love and stories and where babies come from! Your last line is the lfirst knot in new lace.
ReplyDeleteHow simply lovely. What an amazing portrait of your grandmother, and your relationship with her as well. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful...your grandmother is such a blessing and her lessons from lace are remarkable. Thanks so much for writing for the prompt.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful storytelling...what a great memory shared...you are blessed to have such a grandmother...bkm
ReplyDeleteI love your second stanza:
ReplyDelete" My grandmother's face is a clock
ticking slowly over tea cups & crochet of white circle patterns "
It is such a beautiful and unique description. Very nice!
i have to wonder if the days of wisdom of elders will one day be gone..
ReplyDeleteas perhaps the elder ones will never feel the wisdom of age..
It is the benefit after all..
of championing the race of life..
To sit back and say..
i did not give up..i made it..it's life
after all.
Very nice comparison. Everyone should be tread well in life.
ReplyDeleteA fabulous poem Grace, such wisdom, such love of your grandmother,I felt very moved by this poem as I think we are all wanting the same.
ReplyDeleteThis is truly amazing on so many levels...affecting indeed, Grace. Thank you.
ReplyDeletePrecious wisdom, delicate beauty, and the intricacies of love all stitched together like lace in this lovely poem...an heirloom, for sure!
ReplyDeleteA great inspiration!!
ReplyDeleteYour grandmother is wise and we can all benefit from her insights. Beautifully expressed with a lovely delicacy!
ReplyDeleteah, you're visiting your family history now... cool. happy weekend, Grace ~
ReplyDeleteThis is a very, very beautiful poem.. I read it more than once... love the delicate lace metaphor, the wish to be a lace-maker like your grandmother... So much wisdom and such lovely descriptions! Very inspiring and lovely..
ReplyDeleteI had a wonderful feel reading this.............
ReplyDeleteThis is so delicately put, like lace, yet extremely powerful with so many layers in there! Amazing work!
ReplyDeleteGrace you would have liked my grandmother. The old lady born in 1887 lived 105 years. She to had itchy feet and a lifetime behind her and ahead of her before i even came along in 1954.
ReplyDelete"Grandma, how come you only had one kid?"
She straightened her back, pulled the muscles of her face a wee bit tighter and said;
"Well it wasn't from lack of trying!"
Oh, how beautiful! As beautiful as an intricate piece of lacework.
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ReplyDeleteHow beautiful and lovely poem Grace, I adored my grand mom and she died really early but I reminder a lot of about her Some of my cooking come from her, she knitt and made crochet and I love them too!
ReplyDeletexo
This is really lovely, Grace. A deep and meaningful poem - something well worth keeping to pass onto your own grandchildren one day.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful and so much wisdom is woven into your words.
ReplyDeleteI really like all the textures woven throughout this piece Grace. And I Iike Grandmother's advice!
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful and delicate this is Grace.
ReplyDeleteNever knew my grandmothers - but my hope is they would be as wise as this.
Anna :o]
Lace, such a pretty word all by itself....Old fashioned, yet she always had new feelings of love and sentimentality for him and good advice. What a nice story Grace
ReplyDeleteGrace, such a sweet portrait - delicate and beautiful as the lace patterns - love this - K
ReplyDelete"He was my wing man & light of my life" says it all.
ReplyDeleteGrace, you have the most amazing way with words --- I can "see" your grandmother's hands and "hear" her voice...
Your grandmother sounds like a wonderful woman, just like your grandfather. Beautiful tribute to them both. Thank you for sharing them with us. Enjoy your week, my friend!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing woman your grandmother is! And what an amazingly deep love speaks out of her. This is beautiful and so inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing this.
ReplyDelete