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how do you keep memories alive?
breathe in the yeasty scent of pawpaw flowers
remember hiding in the thicket
on hot summer nights
stolen kisses even hotter
close your eyes
see your man’s strong hand
holding your trembling one
as you jumped the broom together
hear crickets chirping
outside the bedroom window
journey back to the night
when your first child was born
let your fingers
caress the warm wool
of Pa’s Sunday trousers
piecing together a memory quilt
denim worn soft
from years
of working under the sun
sewn together here…. and there….
bits of the aprons tied around your waist
when stirring up the corn pone
or brewing Camellia tea
at the end of another long day
the mattress ticking
from your marriage bed
in the quilt for all to see
holding thirty years of love
the tiny gowns never worn
by your baby girl
called to Heaven
before she even lived
how do you keep memories alive?
small moments
picked at random
from the clock of life
pieces of fabric
the fabric of your life
holding the memories tight
keeping them alive
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i’m not a huge fan of Elvis Presley, but this song is lovely ~
“Memories” Elvis Presley / patriklovesyou
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this is my submission to these FABulous sites for poets~
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dVerse Poetics ~ fabric of our lives at dVerse ~ Poets Pub
prompt: image above of a quilt from Gee’s Bend, Alabama quilter
quilt by Rachel Carey George (born 1908) Work-clothes strips c. 1938
Denim (wool trousers, mattress ticking, cotton) 82 x 72 in.
Collection of the Tinwood Alliance
thank you for the great post and prompt, Victoria!
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The Poetry Pantry #79 at Poets United
they are accepting submissions HERE for their second poetry anthology
submit a new or old poem
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Open Link Monday at imaginary garden with real toads
submit a new or old poem
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The Poetry Picnic Week 17 at The Gooseberry Garden
prompt: “Photos, Nostalgia, Memories, and Families”
one can submit a new or old poem
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Prompt #135 at Carry on Tuesday
prompt: use all or part of “The clock of life is wound but once“
from a poem by Robert H Smith entitled ‘The Clock of Life’
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i am also participating in ~
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what a beautifully woven quilt of life dani…love it… all the stories..the love..the sad things that happen, and all stitched together to what makes us who we are…very beautiful..
thank you so much, claudia! ♥ you’re too kind.
the mattress ticking from our marriage bed…nice…i like your thought on how to keep those memories alive…i periodically pull them out to look at them like a marble…
we have many ways to keep our memories alive ~ and hopefully make new ones.
This is just beautiful, a well woven poem. I love the thought of a ‘memory quilt.” This poem makes me feel warm inside!
that’s so sweet, Mary! ♥ thank you!
i don’t quilt. that’s a shocker, i know!
HA! i don’t quilt either, but i sew. ♥
beautiful.
thank you, Natalie! ♥ i appreciate your visit!
Daaani…. looove your words .. always … this was amazing ..
thank you so much, sweetheart! ♥ i’m always happy to see you!
elegant imagery,
Glad to see you share with us,
smiles.
Happy Poetry Picnic.
thank you, Morning! ♥ i appreciate your visit and kind comment.
thrilling, to relive it all, whenever we wish, hmm priceless sometimes :)
enjoy the gooseberry day!
http://lynnaima.wordpress.com/2011/12/07/of-me/
thank you! ♥ i appreciate your visit and comment.
Dani, this is so touching–everything about it. The joy and the heartbreaks all stitched together. So glad you shared this.
thank you, Victoria! ♥ i had seen a television special about the Gee’s Bend quilters years ago from an exhibition of their quilts and interviews with the quilters. fascinating!
Such a beautiful piece…I could see the pieces being placed in the quilt…the memory in each one.
thank you, Susie! ♥ i appreciate the kindness of your comment.
You work a voice of long ago into this quilt, yet fresh as morning too. When I watch Antique Road Show (I’m addicted) I always think of the lives of the people who first owned the objects–what they might have been like…that’s how I read this poem. Good stuff, dani.
Sidenote–can you believe coal doesn’t quilt??? I am just shocked. What does she do with all those discarded bits of lingerie and old tires?
thank you, Joy! ♥ i love Antique RoadShow too! who would ever have guessed that coal doesn’t quilt? maybe she scrapbooks?
Nicely woven
thank you so much! ♥ i appreciate your visit and kind comment.
Hello.
This tugged at my heartstrings. Even the memory quilt has a nice ring to it. Our memories, good & bad, are a part of us.
Beautifully penned.
Thanks for sharing your memories.
For ref:
Eleven Roses And You
thank you very much, Andy! i know memory quilts are actually made, both to save one’s own memories and in memory of someone who has passed. i appreciate your visit and too-kind comment.
to keep memories alive you have to engage all your sense.
i find scents to trigger many memories for me. {smile} thank you for stopping by!
This is a very beautiful quilt of words sewn together with love. Thank you for sharing on Real Toads.
thank you, Kerry! ♥ i appreciate your kind comment.
And all lives are like patchwork quilts, are they not? Nice one!
indeed they are. ♥ thank you for your visit and kind comment, jinksy!
So glad I took the time to read this.
I love the gentle feeling and the beautiful vignettes displayed here.
Your words are lovely and so is the sewing of this precious quilt.
thank you so much for your visit and sweet comment! ♥
in the quilt for all to see
holding thirty years of love
…small moments picked at random
Very poignant.
this was one of those poems that came in complete verses, all inspired by the quilt. thank you for your visit and kind comment, Margaret! ♥
This is very beautiful, and you chose a great quilt design to go with it.
thank you, Mark! i selected the quilt image first and the rest came from that. i appreciate you stopping by.
Some times I do wonder if we need objects to keep our memories alive. Or is our brain sufficient to contain those warm fuzzy feelings of ups and downs?
Great piece!
maybe the objects just make the memories sharper or easier to access. i don’t know. thank you for your visit and kind comment, clarice. ♥
The quilt is a sure one way of retaining memories. A person I know could even identify the price and location where she bought that little piece and what it became later!
Hank
i know of many people who make memory quilts and some who have good memories. {smile} i don’t quilt and my memory is terrible! thank you for stopping by, Hank. much appreciated.
Such wonderful imagery! Filled with sentiment and heartache, yet so beautifully woven~ I loved it~
thank you very much, Ella! ♥ i appreciate your visit and sweet comment.