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Friday, February 6, 2009

Poetry Friday

Quilts
by Nikki Giovanni

(for Sally Sellers)

Like a fading piece of cloth
I am a failure

No longer do I cover tables filled with food and laughter
My seams are frayed my hems falling my strength no longer able
To hold the hot and cold

I wish for those first days
When just woven I could keep water
From seeping through
Repelled stains with the tightness of my weave
Dazzled the sunlight with my
Reflection

I grow old though pleased with my memories
The tasks I can no longer complete
Are balanced by the love of the tasks gone past


rest of the poem here.

Read Jessica Fox-Wilson's thoughts on what she learned after
hearing Nikki Giovanni Speak.


Find more Poetry Friday entries here.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nikki Giovanni is a poet I've only recently discovered through her children's poetry books. My, oh, my, what have I been missing? Thanks for sharing.

Andromeda Jazmon said...

Sweet. What better thing for a poet to grow into than a scrap to keep a child or grandma warm and comforted?

Yat-Yee said...

I love, love, love this. A life of no regrets AND a wish that is so wonderful.

tanita✿davis said...

This is so lovely. I do appreciate the multiple layers of meaning in this poem -- it really touches me.

Kelly Polark said...

That is beautiful.
This reminds me a bit of when an uncle died, and we used a square from his flannel shirts to make a quilt. Then his family could wrap themselves in part of him still.