“Ribbons and Jute” by Wendy Jean MacLean
Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “Ribbons and Jute” by Wendy Jean MacLean.
Ribbons and Jute
By Wendy Jean MacLean
The generations are joined together
with ribbons and jute.
Silk sashes of wedding gowns
leather laces of work boots
binder twine and embroidery thread.
Over the years, straw is spun into gold
and the sins are given new names.
The ancestors are turned into heroes
or forgotten. The farm is sold.
The mice are evicted. The fields are silent.
In the deserted barn I hear the echoes
crying in the haymow: Not good enough.
You never understood what was needed.
Why did you ever leave?
The centuries chafe like burlap.
The days weep silk tears.
Why can I still hear music
from the kitchen
and the sound of the pump
filling the sink with water?
Who bought the pink quilt
at the auction?
Copyright © Wendy Jean MacLean
PWendy Jean MacLean is an award-winning poet with four books of poetry and several commissioned collaborations with Canadian composers. Publications include Presence, Crosswinds, Gathering, Green Spirit, Amethyst Review, St. Katherine Review, and Kosmos. She is a spiritual director and United Church minister. Her texts are inspired by the intricate and complex ways of nature, and our place in the mysteries unfolding in universal and unique human experience. Wendy is a member of the Deeptime Leadership and Wellness Network
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