Ribbons and Buttons
Ribbons and fabric get tossed around,
by soft tired hands.
Quickly her bobbins are wound and wound.
Unfinished quilts with hanging strands,
tell stories of far away sounds and places.
Her sewing machine hums a quiet hum.
Buttons and binding by which her fingers trace.
Her crafts and projects get her out of the slum.
The man cooks for one.
Lamb shanks with herbs and red wine.
Empty chairs once warm.
Warm paper lantern.
Casting a soft orange glow.
Moths gather around.
Her hands softly shake.
Pricking herself as she sews.
Gifts in the making.
Solitude
Najin and Fatu,
Unaware of their lost kin,
Mother and daughter.
In a world so quiet now,
The white rhino’s song fading.