Columnists
A Woman's Work
A Poem by MICHELE GIBSON
Celebrating The International Women's Day ...
A WOMAN'S WORK
She stands above the iron
The smell of warm cotton rising
Mixed with starch and steam
Six yards of cloth stretch out beside her
Suspended along three kitchen chairs
The great length dissects the room
Corner to corner
*
Pressing one foot at a time
She folds them neatly to her side
Pace by pace
Drawing in the shrinking length,
Measure by measure
The bolt of fabric
Rendered to a crisp and sturdy stack
One square foot wide
*
She calls to her beloved
He charges up the stairs
This is their routine
He is a handsome man with flowing hair
Dark eyes smiling
She has loved him for eternity
*
From the far end of the room
They open wide the freshly minted cloth
Fold and fold until they meet
Then he kisses her,
She leaves and reappears
Her turban tied
Ever so precisely
Waiting,
While he irons his six yards of cotton
March 8, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: Chintan Singh (San Jose, California, U.S.A.), March 08, 2010, 11:58 AM.
When I started reading the poem with my stereotype lenses, I thought this was about the wife folding her man's turbans ... something that is typical in my household. However, I am so glad that the poem turned out instead about the woman's turban and her beloved helping with it. Thank you for taking us outside the box ...
2: Irvinder Singh Babra (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), March 08, 2010, 4:23 PM.
Poet Michele Gibson, what a fine, loving and romantic poem!
3: Gurmeet Kaur (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.), March 08, 2010, 9:34 PM.
Aaaww!!! This is a treat for Women's Day! Thank you, Michele. I love the turban colors. Sikhchic.com, what a great job you do with the pictures to go along with the articles.
4: Maria Kaur (Ottawa, Canada), March 10, 2010, 4:24 PM.
With a title such as "A Woman's Work", one would have expected to react and perceive as Chintan did. So the twist was indeed a nice surprise ... and a sheer delight to read. Beautiful!
5: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), March 10, 2010, 6:11 PM.
The following nugget has just appeared on the net that I share with you: Quote of the day - "Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit."