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Friday, November 18, 2016

Poem for a Better World

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Brenda at Friendly Fairy Tales for Roundup.

I'm in Atlanta for NCTE, which happens to be one of my most favorite conferences of the year. I love being around so many people who are passionate about books and education and children. I always come away so very inspired -- more about this next week!

So today, I have a new original poem to share with you. It's inspired in part by world events and the Writing for a Better World panel I'll be on tomorrow, and also by my seamstress-mother, who can create beauty out of even the most tattered piece of fabric.


Alterations

And this is how
we shall remake
the world:
like a seamstress
with pins in her mouth,
steady fingers
coaxing thread,
a hum forever
in her throat
as stitch by stitch
the fabric is fitted,
             gathered –
until what was once
tattered, now dances 
across the floor.

- Irene Latham

23 comments:

  1. Lovely words:
    "...steady fingers
    coaxing thread,
    a hum forever
    in her throat..."
    My mother could do the same thing, Irene. I so wish I could be in your sessions at NCTE. Share lots!

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    1. Hi Ramona! Thanks for sharing about your mom. It's a wonderful art, isn't it? xo

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  2. That is inspiring. I can see that poem dance in its hand-stitched finery.

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    1. Thank you, Brenda... a dancing poem! It is the hope, isn't it? xo

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  3. What a special poem. I love "coaxing thread, a hum forever..." Thanks for sharing, Irene!

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    1. ...and thank YOU for reading! Happy Poetry Friday (on Sunday)!

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  4. I am hopeful and your words help, Irene: "until what was once
    tattered, now dances/across the floor". Have a wonderful time in Atlanta!

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    1. Linda, one of these days I am going to meet you. I DID get to meet Tara, who spoke of you in all the ways that are in my heart. xo

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  5. Wow, Irene, it is positively spooky how well this connects with what I posted today, especially the video. You should go look at it!

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    1. I did! And I love your post! Thank you, Ruth. You are a treasure. xo

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  6. "until what was once
    tattered, now dances
    across the floor" - yes, this!
    Perfect poem of hope for these "tattered" times. Thank you, Irene! Enjoy NCTE! =)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Bridget... we will make beauty of these tatters yet. xo

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  7. What a beautiful poem of hope - thank you. This is just what we need right now.

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    1. Thank you, Jane! Thinking of you in the rainy city... xo

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  8. Poems like these are how we go about mending our holes, Irene...love this!

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    1. Yes! Here's to mending! (I wonder if that's a better title for the poem... hmmmm...) thank you!

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  9. Oh, this is beautiful. My Mom was a seamstress. I miss her in the sewing room....she made the most incredible pieces. I think we need a Mom to put us back together again. Stitch by stitch. Wonderful graphic. Thank you for this.

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  10. Thank you for sharing this lovely message of hope, Irene. Yes, "stitch by stitch" is the only way forward, but we will repair the tatters. I'm so sorry to miss NCTE and seeing you! Looking forward to reading more about your session next week.

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  11. Beautiful! Enjoy this weekend at NCTE.

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  12. Oh, I love this Irene! And your presentation is wonderful as well. Thank you for your steady pen coaxing words, poem by poem. xo

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  13. OH!!!! I love this. The simplicity, the acceptance, the living in flow, the industry, the rustic hard work of it all, and the peace, oh the peace. I might have to share this somehow.

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  14. It's time to hum and stitch! Beautiful!

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  15. Irene, one of my NCTE highlights was meeting you! There was so much going on, so much to see and do, that it was a small miracle our paths actually crossed- at last.
    Also, I love this poem. My character, Azalea, started out as the daughter of a woman based on someone who sewed for everybody in my little MS town. Her name was Narcissus. The image of pins in her mouth is so vivid! But she didn't make it out of the first draft. It seemed a little over the top to have those two names in one story. :) Hope to see you again for a longer visit, or to sit in on one of your workshops. One of these days!

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