The Underbelly of This Seam
Slides beneath your gaze, unnoticed,
but the joining satisfies that particular
urge, combining two separates
into one whole, creating this new
piece. I thumb the string on every fourth
beat, anchor the cloth, pull it taut, and stitch.
What better material than air and silence?
Yesterday’s tune, tomorrow’s silk?
A fine breath zigzagged down the edge – frayed
lines, beneath, on the other side, testifying
to the struggles of the unseen. I exhale,
strike another note. You hum something new.
* * *
“The Underbelly of This Seam” was drafted during the August 2016 Tupelo Press 30/30 Challenge. Many thanks to Ursula, who sponsored the poem and provided the title.
O at the Edges 
Delightful visualizing “seaming” air and silence, music materializing …
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Sometimes those stitches are nearly visible!
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I can see that this was originally published in 2016 but I love the image of “tomorrow’s silk” as offering hope in these trying times. Beautiful 🙂
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Thanks very much. That’s poetry! It finds us when we need it.
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What a beautiful and meaningful poem… to which I can strongly relate.
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Thanks very much, Lia. I’m pleased it resonates for you!
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In a time overrun with social distancing, I am particularly struck by the beauty of quotidian intimacy that you so artfully recreate in this piece. Each read yields a new kernel of light. Thank you.
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Thank you, Ursula. The poem never would have been written if not for your title!
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