My grandmother was a gatherer
of fabrics, trimmings, and buttons
When visiting her she would put her hands on her hips
and say, "Rob, let me show you what I bought...."
Then she would make her way into the other room
where she would pull lengths of fabrics
from dresser drawers and cedar chests
showing me patterns and buttons and trims
Her stream of small talk never stopping
not even for a breath it seemed
Like my grandmother, I, too, am a gatherer
of papers, trimmings, and buttons
When my sisters visit I put my hands on my hips
and say, "Let me show you what I bought...."
Then I make my way into my studio
and flip through portfolios of papers
ephemera, and other embellishments
I had gathered throughout the year
My stream of small talk rarely stopping
except for a breath now and then
Thinking about her, I realize that we are a lot alike
my grandmother and I
talkers, gatherers, planners
I was named for Queenie Anne
(although I only got to keep the "an" in her name)
and we were born just one day a part
both lovers of justice and balance and beauty.
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| Queenie Anne at her surprise birthday party.... |
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and with my mom.
I love the expression on my granny's face. |
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| Luckily, I became the keeper of my grandmother's buttons. |
(I fell in love with the two fabrics shown above.)
And just like that, I was thinking about my grandmother.
