coming apart at the seems

One time I met a woman

With a basket on her arm

A basket filled with patches

And with fabric, thread and yarn

I wondered why she had it all

And so I walked a while

Watching as she greeted

Other people with a smile

I saw her greet a woman

Hanging on by just a thread

And a girl who was unravelling

With each and every step

I watched her as she stitched together

Parts all torn and frayed

And as she tied their loose ends

With the fabric she had made

And then I watched a man

Who told her that he couldn’t cope

He spoke about the heartache

That had snatched away his hope 

She listened to him calmly

As she measured out her thread

And then she gently held his arm

And carefully she said

“I’ll hold you for a moment

And I’ll treat your heart with care

And it will feel different,

But perhaps less empty there”

But as I stood and watched her

As she patched his broken heart

I noticed that her dress

Was quietly coming apart

I realised that the hat she wore

Had six or seven holes

And the boots she wore upon her feet

Had barely any soles

The tights she wore beneath her dress

Were laddered and threadbare

And the jacket round her shoulders

Was in need of great repair

And now I saw it clearly:

That she spent her every day

Fixing other people

Making sure they were okay

Patching up and sewing

So that they could feel stronger

When they just couldn’t keep themselves

Together any longer

But she too needed love and care

And she too needed help

Yet she was spending all her time

On everybody else

On making sure that they were fine

To chase their hopes and dreams

Whilst she slowly, without knowing

Came apart 

right 

at 

the 

s e a m s

*****

Becky Hemsley 2024

Lovely artwork by Mariajesus Palacios

This poem is in my latest collection Words to Remember: https://amzn.to/4aW7zlX

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