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Friday, July 11, 2014

Quilts & Pears & the Summer Poem Swap!

stained glass quilt by Bettye Kimbrell
Hello, and Happy Poetry Friday! I am adventuring today with my Camp Buttercup girls, but I did want to leave a few goodies for my Poetry Friday friends. :) Be sure to visit lovely Linda Kulp at Write Time for Roundup!

As many of you know, I love quilts. I've even created a few, though none so gorgeous as those picture here and made by Bettye Kimbrell, an Alabama quilt-artist whose work earned her a National Heritage Fellowship Award.  learned about Bettye at a recent quilt program presented by Alabama Folklife Association. Her work is so amazing, and she's self-taught! Here's one using a leaf pounding technique:


And here is a postcard piece of art created by Joy Acey, to whom I sent a poem as part of the Summer Poem Swap. (She sent me the postcard as a thank you.) Isn't it lovely?? I immediately started a "pear" poem. :) Thank YOU, Joy!!! You multi-talented poets inspire the heck out of me!


And here is another bit of loveliness I received that I haven't been able to stop thinking about, both picture and poem, from Diane Mayr:

photo by Russell Lee, courtesy of Library of Congress

On the Beach
by Diane Mayr

Not a body, I have no memory
of flesh -- but a thin, faded and
worn, cotton patchwork quilt

made me stop and gape.

I wanted to shake someone,
To yell, "What are you doing?"
How could you be so

careless as to bring family

history to the beach to
cradle your Coppertone
slicked sweating bodies?

Sand, salt, and the sun

will exact a toll on the
handiwork of your mother,
or grandmother, long-gone.

If only, I could finger

the yo-yos of the quilt that
once lay on her bed and say,
"Tell me, who made this?

And when. And where. And how?"

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Isn't that great?? How many times have I wanted the answers to those same questions... alas. Thank you, Diane, for putting it in a poem. I will treasure it. And thanks again and again to Tabatha for running the Swap! SO inspiring and FUN!

20 comments:

  1. Good morning, Irene! I'm doing the Summer Poetry Swap PROPERLY this year and yes, it's very fun. Diane's quilt poem echoes some thoughts I've had at 4th of July fireworks and outdoor theatre shows....don't they know what treasures of ordinary history they're dripping mayonnaise on?

    I think I'm saving my received poems for a compilation post at the end, but I hope you saw my wee mention of your lovely gift to me in June...http://myjuicylittleuniverse.blogspot.com/2014/06/haiku-summer.html

    I can't wait until it's my turn to surprise you!

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  2. Love the look of that leaf pounding technique, and Joy's pear is a charmer :-) !
    Diane's poem fairly quivers with indignation, doesn't it? I can imagine it by the door of a quilt museum: http://www.quiltstudy.org/

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    1. What a great idea, Tabatha! I am definitely sharing with my quilt-loving friends... we often debate which has more value... the everyday quilts or the art-don't-touch ones... I say BOTH. :)

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  3. Thanks for sharing my swap poem, Irene!

    I enjoyed looking at Bettye Kimbrell's quilts and learning more about the woman behind the work.

    Enjoy the rest of your summer!

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    1. Thank you again, Diane, for the poem... means so much! xo

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  4. Fabric, paint, photos, words... I love that you've included all these mediums that showcase so many diverse talents. A true celebration of the creative spirit!

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    1. Ha! Just a few of my favorite things. :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. I use the quilts, but gently, have a few just to look at, one for a tablecloth, & stories for each. Diane is right, there are better picnic blankets. It's a wonderful poetic sentiment. And Joy's pear is lovely too-lots of lovely here today, Irene! Thank you!

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    1. Linda, thank you for stopping by... I'm like you, with a quilt for every purpose. :)

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  6. I am so enjoying reading the poems from the swap! I really must try to join in the fun next year. By the way, congratulations on the starred review of your new collection. You so deserve it!

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    1. Linda, this is my first year to do the Swap, and it's been great to keep me writing... and writing things I wouldn't have thought of myself... AND getting to know some of the other poets in our community better. LOVELY. Thanks for stopping by! xo

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  7. This is a fun time of year for Poetry Friday, because we get to see so much Poetry Swap creativity. It's inspiring.

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    1. Yes Monica! SO INSPIRING. Love it. Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. I agree with the emotions in Diane's poem, and yet a part of me says, "Get those quilts out of the plastic boxes and out into the world of LIFE." I'm not sure the maker of the quilt would be so sad that it was taken along to beach or fireworks.

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    1. Mary Lee, I, too, love the usefulness of quilts and treasure the ones that were actually used... I have a baby quilt I love, but I never really used for my boys (and sortakinda wish I did) and also one that was well-used by my mother-in-law on all three of her kids, which I completely adore (for all that use!). We need both in the world, that's all. :)

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  9. Such gorgeous quilts, such a joyous image from Joy, and such a provocative poem from Diane. Thanks for sharing all. I'm intrigued by Mary Lee's thoughts, too - I cherish the quilts that have been passed down and ended up in our house. Must say some more "generic" ones have been so well loved/lived that they do end up on a patch of grass or sand. But I try to keep the ones with STORIES in the fabrics out of the fray.

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    1. I know exactly what you mean, Robyn! Love the stories in some quilts... got one to craft in the coming months... my son's t-shirt quilt for his graduation from high school... might be two-sided, because the kid's got a ton of t-shirts. :)

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  10. Thanks Irene, for sharing your poetry swap gifts. The yellow pear is cheery and Diane's poem is a stunner, especially with the photo background.

    Violet N.

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    1. Thank you for visiting, Violet... Cheery is exactly what that yellow pear is. :)

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  11. I love reading all these swapped poems and gifts. It's astonishing to me how thoughtful and personal so many of them are. Poetry Friday is such an amazing, creative community. Truly. Amazing.

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