The Paddock Review

Unstitched

 

 

I am held together

by tiny stitches 

on small scraps of feed sack,

snatches of wool, snips of gingham.

A patchwork of pastels—

a slipshod collage of cotton.

I’ve been silk, satin, taffeta;

I’ve been flowers, polka-dots, and plaid.

         

Thin white thread

                   zig-zags 

         across

                   the decades

         hemming me in, keeping me

from ripping. 

 

I’ve been zipped. 

         Buttoned. 

                   Unsnapped.

I’ve been bumblebunched, twisted,

and straightened. Held pins in my mouth, 

pricked fingers, and calloused 

my thimble-less thumbs.

 

I am done.

Unravel me now: 

Rip out the seams

one by one, untwist strings

and untangle knots. Fold me gently.

What I haven’t finished—

take now. 

Begin again.

…..

This poem is from the chapbook Stitches by Sarah Cummins Small (Finishing Line Press), and can be found at https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/stitches-by-sarah-cummins-small/