A Tapestry of Love

By Carolyn Manning Brink

Eliza R. Snow Poetry Contest Third Place Winner

At first, we wove such tiny threads of hope

Pale and fragile fibers picked in haste

Flimsy on the loom, our work hung loose

Full of holes, like faded antique lace

We each had brought a pattern to create

And only shared its secrets bit by bit

Then painfully unraveled what was done

And rearranged the pieces so they fit

We chose some bolder colors, faith and work

And watched a new design begin to form

Something better than we’d either had in mind

A pattern bright and cheerful, sweet and warm

We dared claim every lovely hue our own

But soon saw need of dark as well as light

To make our art stand out in bold relief

Experience whispered even black looked right

We found a better rhythm, worked as one

Choosing basic threads both good and strong

Allowing each a preference here and there

Ignoring when the other’s choice went wrong

But now, we weave in beauty as a team

Forming cloth so tight it cannot tear

Mastering the art, the loom, ourselves

Designing durable fabric that will wear

A tapestry of love we now have made

The warp and woof and weave our common goal

With faith and work and love our homespun joys

We wove ourselves together flesh and soul