This chequered quiltwork life
has many frayed edges and loose seams:
the petty coworker strife,
the disappointed career dreams,
the shivering colds and feverish flus,
the traffic delays going home,
the overtime and the insurance dues,
the snagging, yanking, tearing comb—
all frayed edges and loose seams,
all petty nuisances and annoying frets,
all rotten strawberries and spoiled creams
all lost chances and hopeless bets.
And yet it persists, this tattered thing
held together stubbornly, day to day,
despite the mud spatter and the coffee ring,
the food stains and the flea-bitten stray.
But when you were torn away from me,
so, too, was the cross-stitched heart
of that assemblage, that tapestry,
and it all unraveled, coming apart.
Frayed
Published
Tangleroot And Tressknot 