Desert Island

........a sewing-machine, or needle,
and an endless ragbag, to meter out
my time in pieces joined, seams sewn,
not those transient five-barred gates,
twig-marks in the sand hemming me in.

Start with the biggest bits for speed,
a quick blanket for the first cool nights,
measured by lengths of stick or fingertip
to teeth, bite and tear, then fold, divide,
quilt cumulus and nimbus.

I'd darn the days by thread colours,
a rainbow working backwards, violet
Sunday to red Monday, invent new
tacks to pin down moods and seasons.

Start with the biggest bits for speed,
a quick blanket for the first cool nights,
measured by lengths of stick or fingertip
to teeth, bite and tear, then fold, divide,
quilt cumulus and nimbus.

Web

Warp

Weft

©2001 Joyce Lambert
Last amended September 2001

Next scale down to jewel size
bright silk fractions of noon heat,
frill breakers, pleat waves,
smock ripples on rockpools,
patching dawn damp, sea pebbles rocks fish palms
until they palled.

On days of too much sun, or endless grey
I'd need surprises - this blue against
that khaki, pink curl against lemon zigzag,
in the hours before rescue, fraying ends
layering new horizons.

Joyce Lambert