Dusty trunk
of cracked leather
and crusty lock
reveal Great-Gran’s
long-forgotten cache
of fine Chinese silks,
bolts of vibrant threads
that survived
tempestuous seas
and mud-sucking roads
but Great-Gran vanished
in the waves of flu,
the silks packed away,
tempting nibbles
for attic mice.
Written for today’s dVerse prompt to include the word “nibble”. I decided to do an Ekphrastic poem with this image by Stephanie Rew, a Scotland based artist. I love her gorgeous depictions of women in beautifully exotic clothing. This painting is oil and 24 gold leaf on linen.
Charlotte Hamrick 
Delightful fabric and words. Hard to imagine these treasures nipped on by mice.
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I agree! Thanks for reading, K.
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Ouf………my direct reaction….stunned….you weaved that so carefully and cleverly….with undercurrent thoughts included…just superb…
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Charlotte, this is so well written ~ I really enjoyed it. Thank you.
-David
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Textiles contain so much history, so many stories. Lovely. (K)
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The mice would certainly have a feast with silk like that. Hope you can save the silk and feed the mice something different. Lovely poetry. so loved it. and the photo too. Just so lovely all of it.
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Gorgeous painting and inspiration!
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I love that in the beautiful painting, we see the front of one woman and the back of the other. Forward and back, just like examining memories or treasures found in the attic. All those lives lost between war and flu. Lovely, Charlotte.
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Wow, what a story you wove from the words and that picture…
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I especially felt the appreciation of these beautiful fabrics, making their way from “tempestuous seas
and mud-sucking roads”, more treasured for the journey. A wonderful tale.
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