On
Wednesday Evenings at the Barton Library
One
hundred years ago we would have sat:
Companions
and creators, then as now.
Perhaps
we’d have enjoyed some idle chat.
But
not completely idle. We’d have known
that
Devils
find work, a Scriptural rebuke, and how
We’d
scold ourselves! Pure leisure was unknown
then.
Elders,
too, had evening chores. And when
Departing
summer breezes rattled doors,
A
younger relative might even make
A
fire in the stove for us. Just for the sake of
Warming
our old bones on September 8.
Mending
harness. Darning socks. And braiding
Old
clothes for rugs. Knit two, purl three,
appreciating
One
another’s work:
“Oh,
Maude, that is a beautiful design!”
“Marie,
you’ll use that shawl come wintertime!”
*
 |
| Fran Smith |
One
hundred years on, we’re the elders. Leisure’s
Unapologetic,
unalloyed. Pleasure is
Diversion.
Lonely electronics. We have to say
We’re
bored sometimes. And so we make our way
To
a basement room where we can congregate:
Befriend,
support, critique (though always gently), re-create
Through
poetry, aesthetic joy. Though not the ancestral way,
We
share pleasure working with companions together at the close of day.
 |
| Fran and Jeannie Morris |
Coda:
That was then
This is now.
This September 8th was hot as hell
So how
Can we continue to deny climate change?
