Rita Summers
Tasmania, Australia
Matriarchs
Three generations of
women (three handmade nails);
a hexagon template from
my Australian mother-in-law;
the plastic rings I
saved from the tops of milk bottles.
The spring from a
broken plastic clothes peg;
simple embroidery and
crochet stitches taught to me
by my Dutch mother and
my American teacher.
Patchwork and quilting –
remnants salvaged,
worn-out clothes
re-used; every scrap saved;
beauty and warmth born
out of poverty and thrift.
Donegal handwoven tweed;
three leather buttons;
a broken silver ring (eternity/reality)
-
gifts from my Tasmanian-born
daughter.
Recycled woollen skirts;
an op shop blanket;
my own plant-dyed, rusted
wool and silk; blue buttons;
coffee-dyed cotton
lace; my Canadian birth.
Symbolism and practicality;
the art of making do;
nurture, birth, womanhood
– month after month;
the quiet fortitude of
women of all ages.
The creative spirit
driving us year by year,
not diminished, but enriched
by endurance, tears
and busy hands – the guiding
hands of the matriarchs.
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