Poem: "Crossed Stitches"
Dec. 23rd, 2015 08:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the September 1, 2015 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from alexseanchai, wyld_dandelyon, and kelkyag. It also fills the "science and magic" square in my 6-10-15 card for the ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
genprompt_bingo fest, and the "peaceful" square in my 8-31-15 card for the Tones Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by mama_kestrel. It belongs to the series Monster House.
"Crossed Stitches"
Grandmother and granddaughter
sit together in their rocking chairs.
Mrs. Solem sits on the couch,
just in case her tail slips out.
They are doing needlework, something
peaceful and serene, something that
the granddaughter can only see when
they are also doing magic and science
that connect their craft to the threads of Fate.
They choose threads for texture
as well as colors, so that her fingers
can see the differences between them --
cotton and polyester, wool and silk
and all the blends between.
They cross-stitch magic squares
and talk about quadrant magic.
They embroider hypercubes
and debate quantum physics.
It is Mrs. Solem who brings out
the sampler pattern with cross-stitch
and other embroidery, all redone
in raised lines and Braille.
Above the numbers and alphabet
and decorative lines it says,
Now I will believe that
there are unicorns.
A princess holds out her hand
as the beautiful beast approaches.
The blues are to be cotton,
the ivories in linen, the unicorn's body
in shades of gray silk and thread-of-silver.
This is science, composition of fiber
and geometry and physics.
This is magic, each base thread an intent
pinned down by the one that crosses it.
Reality is twisted and tied and
secured with carefully counted knots.
When the sampler is finished,
the unicorns will come.
* * *
Notes:
Quadrant magic squares include this model.
Hypercube magic squares are cool too. See a pattern and finished project.
See The Unicorn Sampler Counted Cross Stitch pattern leaflet #27 and closeup.
Art by and for blind people uses different parameters. This artist uses fabric paint to make raised lines for his fingers to follow. There are ways to adapt art lessons and art therapy for vision-impaired people.
alexseanchai, wyld_dandelyon, and kelkyag. It also fills the "science and magic" square in my 6-10-15 card for the genprompt_bingo fest, and the "peaceful" square in my 8-31-15 card for the Tones Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by mama_kestrel. It belongs to the series Monster House."Crossed Stitches"
Grandmother and granddaughter
sit together in their rocking chairs.
Mrs. Solem sits on the couch,
just in case her tail slips out.
They are doing needlework, something
peaceful and serene, something that
the granddaughter can only see when
they are also doing magic and science
that connect their craft to the threads of Fate.
They choose threads for texture
as well as colors, so that her fingers
can see the differences between them --
cotton and polyester, wool and silk
and all the blends between.
They cross-stitch magic squares
and talk about quadrant magic.
They embroider hypercubes
and debate quantum physics.
It is Mrs. Solem who brings out
the sampler pattern with cross-stitch
and other embroidery, all redone
in raised lines and Braille.
Above the numbers and alphabet
and decorative lines it says,
Now I will believe that
there are unicorns.
A princess holds out her hand
as the beautiful beast approaches.
The blues are to be cotton,
the ivories in linen, the unicorn's body
in shades of gray silk and thread-of-silver.
This is science, composition of fiber
and geometry and physics.
This is magic, each base thread an intent
pinned down by the one that crosses it.
Reality is twisted and tied and
secured with carefully counted knots.
When the sampler is finished,
the unicorns will come.
* * *
Notes:
Quadrant magic squares include this model.
Hypercube magic squares are cool too. See a pattern and finished project.
See The Unicorn Sampler Counted Cross Stitch pattern leaflet #27 and closeup.
Art by and for blind people uses different parameters. This artist uses fabric paint to make raised lines for his fingers to follow. There are ways to adapt art lessons and art therapy for vision-impaired people.
Wow
Date: 2015-12-24 04:27 am (UTC)Re: Wow
Date: 2015-12-29 08:52 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-24 08:35 am (UTC)Next time she was at my place I showed it to her: first I handed it to her and had her feel it end to end. Then, with both our hands on it, I joined the ends in a normal loop. "A single loop, right?" "Yes."
"Now," I said, "we'll give one end a half twist before taping them together." We did that.
"Now feel along the length of it." She ran it through her fingers till she returned to the join and felt how the smooth side flowed into the rough side. "Oh!!" I'll never forget how her face lit up in discovery.
Wow!
Date: 2015-12-24 08:49 am (UTC)Re: Wow!