Bear 245

Meet Alexandra, dedicated to an "Unimportant Woman" in Weimar, Germany

“Education, Tolerance, Acceptance

Are key ingredients for a peaceful coexistence.”

So teachers preach in Germany’s historic Weimar.

Alexandra shields her bruised and swollen face

From parents who celebrate their racial difference.

But skinhead bullies who attacked her in the schoolyard

Knew no restraint and had no patience for the girl with darker skin.

Alexandra slips into the privacy of blue and sunshine yellow linen.

Hides her pain between the sweetly scented pillows on her bed.

Cries into the furry safety of a childhood bunny friend.

When all the tears have left her tender body,

She finds a skein of unbleached cotton and winds a giant ball.

A cautious smile attends the fast, ambitious circles of her hand.

“They wage wars and I knit teddy bears.”

Bear 244

Meet Ting-ting, knitted in honor of an Unimportant Woman in Souzhou, China

 

 

An Unimportant Woman – Ting-ting,  Souzhou, China

Hazy sunlight filters through the Garden of the Master of the Fishing Nets;

Ting-ting strokes her growing belly.

The child will soon be born - without a father;

He enlists the arts to fight his government’s oppression.

“China is our home,” he said, as they tied his wrists and took him from her.

“Don’t let them scare you to submission.”

Helplessly the future mother strolls amid the beauty of the Souzhou gardens,

Admiring stunted trees, inhaling sweetness from their dazzling blossoms.

Her restless hands search through the shopping bag,

Seeking respite in the tangles of the yarn she bought.

In silent vigil for the man she loves she bows before a jaded Buddha.

“They wage wars, and I knit teddy bears.”

Bear 243

Meet Nathifa - knitted in honor of an Unimportant Woman in Cairo, Egypt

An Unimportant Woman – Nathifa, Cairo

When Nathifa shuts her eyes to sleep

She relives the nightmare they called fight for freedom

She sees her brother - breathless. Dead on Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

The radiant, brilliant scholar of antiquities

Sacrificed his body to their dreams of democratic bliss.

Nathifa twists and turns and tries to push away

The images of agony - familial bonds denied forever,

Replaces them with skeins of brightly colored yarn,

Imagines finished toys, packed and shipped to sub-Saharan Africa,

Where other soldiers fight the endless fight.

The thought of giving joy becomes a soothing pillow.

“They wage wars and I knit teddy bears.”

Bear 242

Meet Polyanthe - in honor of an Unimportant Woman in Santorini, Greece

An Unimportant Woman – Polyanthe, Santorini

Trapped between blue walls and Aegean travel posters

She slides out of high-heeled shoes into the comfort of a sandal

Behind the counter in her Santorini knick-knack store.

Polyanthe waits impatiently to shut the doors

Behind the crowd of shoppaholics.

But then a fight erupts and screaming men pour from a tavern

Too much ouzo rakes the coals of conversation

Between frenzied sports fanatics of opposing teams.

Oh well, the tired Polyanthe turns the key and leaves.

Walks home, makes supper for her family,

Sits down with wool and pattern.

And smiles in anticipation.

“They wage wars and I knit teddy bears.”

Bear 241

Meet Cahide - In honor of an Unimportant Woman in Ephesus, Turkey

An Unimportant Woman – Cahide, Ephesus

Early morning sunshine rises

 above the dusty street to Ephesus;

Poppies nod from the ruins of the ancient town.

Cahide -  peddler, widow, toothless, without a proper home,

Gums her bread in silent prayer.

Soft and silken, unraveled from a winter shawl,

An endless thread runs smooth between her fingers.

Metal needles clank the rhythm of her labor.

Men in fancy travel gear pass the peasant woman,

Not seeing her, not paying much attention to her tattered tent,

They chat about the tension dividing East and West. 

About violence, and death, and children suffering from hunger.

Cahide retreats into the darkness of her shelter,

Questioning the balance of the world.

“They wage wars and I knit teddy bears!”

Primary Challenge

There will be thirteen Bears in this group. Knitted in three colors, the primaries - red, blue, yellow.
The Bears will eventually be placed into a scene that resembles a knitting group. Each Bear is knitted in honor of one "Unimportant Woman" whom I have never met, in a country I have visited. Bear thirteen will be knitted in honor of a woman in a country I want to visit. The first letters of their names, sorted into the right order, will spell out my hopes for the future, and they will be my message to Mr. Mandela for his 93. birthday on July 18, 2011.

The Basil, Beet, Broccoli, Bean, and Brussel Sprout Bears

 
  It all started with my discovery of Greek Yogurt. I tried several kinds and compared calories, sodium content, protein, carbs etc. Since the nonfat kind is best for my health I tried to spruce it up a bit, but all I could find was a jar of basil. Thus "Basil to the Rescue."

That same day I thought about the color green, and after digging through my stash I found exactly what I needed to knit bears in shades of green with a bit of red mixed in. Staying true to the B-List I only picked greens that start with the letter B. There are several -, broccoli green, brussels sprouts green, bean green, and, of course, basil green. And red beets. I pulled out an old photo of a bunch of basil a friend had brought me last year and loved the red of the basil blossoms. And finally, I knitted five bears in shades of green.

Yes, this group of bears has a simple beginning - a tube of basil.and some  veggies. And I have come to love Greek yogurt as dessert, but now I add blueberries and bananas to it,.