Monday, May 9, 2011

Bear 246

Meet Eleesh, knitted in honor of an Unimportant Woman in Nine Mile, Jamaica
An Unimportant Woman - Eleesh, Nine Mile, Jamaica

Eleesh stands by the wayside,
Waiting, waiting, waiting,
Waiting for a bus to Nine Mile.
Insufficient funds, gang wars, sleepy drivers, robberies,
Her ride depends on luck, good will, and promises.
Mother waits for her arrival,
A man had mutilated her
When she was young and bold and desperate,
And sold herself for daily bread and minor favors.
Eleesh can't remember singing songs
Or dancing in the moonlight;
She must bathe her mother, feed her sisters, pay the bills.
But when raindrops pelt the metal roof
Eleesh becomes an artist with her needles.
She cables, purls, makes toys from snips and snatches,
Ignores the outside world's discord.
"They wage wars and I knit teddy bears."



1 comment:

Mei Travis said...

Very touching poem. I am always in awe of your many talents.