Blood Lines

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The Seamstress

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The Seamstress

National Poetry Day 6th October 2022. Blood Lines Poem 31

Juliet Robertson
Oct 6, 2022
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The Seamstress

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she sews and she sews

remnants of past lives

using golden threads

the patchwork quilt grows


she sews and she sews

buttons and sequins

of love and kindness

connections she knows


she sews and she sews

wadding of wonder

warmer and stronger

when the cold wind blows


she sews and she sews

uniting herself

stitching new futures

inwardly she glows


she sews and she sews

friends ask, “How are you?”

she smiles responding

calmly, “I’m so-so”.


This poem was written after a tempestuously emotional month that left me feeling fragmented and disconnected from myself. Recently a lot of my poetry has been freeform, which is fine, but sometimes structure and rhyme bring stability and peace to a poem when a natural rhythm emerges. The theme of stitching as a metaphor has always appealed after first reading Ian Hamilton Finlay’s quote “Even-ing will come, they will sew the blue sail.” The patchwork in the photo is my still-to-be-finished quilt with patched made from material donated by friends and old clothing. It is indeed a memory quilt!

Flynne’s Barn is a place where young people living with cancer can come together and find connection in beautiful surroundings and provides a range of immersive outdoor and creative experiences. I am sharing one poem per day during September 2022 to raise money for this charity. To DONATE, visit my GO FUND ME page. Many thanks.

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The Seamstress

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8 Comments
Maggie MacDonald
Oct 6, 2022Liked by Juliet Robertson

Happy National Poetry Day Juliet! Another wonderful poem from you 🙂

The quilt is beautiful.... it reminds me of a quilt that one of my grandsons had. He was born prematurely and all the babies in the unit were given a quilt made from preloved baby clothes. He was so comforted by it.... I think he still has it somewhere..... he’ll be 8 in February 😊

Maggie xxx

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Alec Finlay
Writes Dailies
Oct 6, 2022

Yes, the so-so diagnosis. x

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