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Notes About The Poem

Serging Through Life's Stitches and Scars

My grandmother, mother, sisters, and wife were all sewers and had their own sewing machines, including the nonelectric type where you pumped a pedal. Because I grew up on a farm, we were hard on our clothing, so we used to have patches sewn on top of other patches to extend the life of our clothes. I researched and reflected deeply on how to ink this particular poem using the metaphorical concept of sewing. I truly wanted to explore the complexities of life's personal growth and spiritual seeking, and I wanted to convey a sense of struggle while also showing resilience and hope in life. I think we all agree that life's challenges can be part of a larger pattern or purpose.

Blessings,
Daniel Henry Rodgers

"Take your needle, my child, and work at your pattern; it will come out a rose by and by. Life is like that – one stitch at a time taken patiently and the pattern will come out all right like the embroidery."  – Oliver Wendell Holmes

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Serging Through Life's Stitches with Scars

Serging through life, I whipstitch, weft, and welt,
But always, my thoughts are pick-threading.

As stippled patches of emotion rise and fall in me,
See me, feel me, touch me, heal me
Just too many scars.

The mindless mind stresses itself through mental snares,
I waste away beneath it all, piecing and pondering.
Where the struggling soul and pleating body meet,
I seek significance in life’s lucid-lined layers.

Confronting my inner fears as an owneress,
Time leaves its cursed mark in starched stitches that cut.

Each moment experienced is like a closing zipper,
My calm exterior ridges are often rough, ready, and ruffled.
A life full of scars.

While unique experiences blend like transient ombre shades
My essence feels like a needled complex knit.
Memories form patterns from life’s four-patches
Challenges scissors cut are like shredded sharp diamonds.

Yet more paths diverge along life’s shifting chevrons
I strive to fit somehow; this square is what I do.

Yet my world stands out like tri-recs blocks
Creating stars and pineapples to fight fifty-four forty.
Scars that are hidden and visible, surface and deep.

Like trapezoids, I sense those oblong obstacles loom
Worth or less by my own limited gauge, I measure.
I pray each day new chapters begin casting on
While others exhaust, reaching their bind-offs.

I do seek a pattern master, and I need to pray for one.
I contemplate constantly along selvages of thoughts.

They hang like dangling tails…
I start to visualize my purpose slowly seaming.
Look as I whipstitch, weft, and welt through life, serging.

As I graciously and sagaciously test life’s many swatches,
I devote my life to the Master Seamster the…
Healer of scars.

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Crystol Woods Date: 9/13/2024 9:16:00 AM Such a profound write full of setting metaphor as you intended... you did so well with your research my friend! Almost every sentence has a reference to this art. Very clever! My favorite is the final stanza... no work of art can fully live without Him! Favng this one! Xo Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 9/16/2024 8:07:00 AM Dear Crystol, I am grateful for your insights. With all those who sewed in my life gave me most of the words and then some additional research to build out the poem helped me with the rest. I am always thankful for your wonderful visits and words. Yes, God is the master tailor. - Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Beryl Edmonds Date: 8/29/2024 9:56:00 AM A wonderful poem Daniel, love how you stitched it together with words. I used to sew a lot, but by hand as I could not master a sewing machine. I like the thought of God, the Master Seamer healing our scars. I once wrote about life being a patchwork quilt, will find it and post it. Blessings dear poetry friend… Beryl Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 9/3/2024 4:12:00 AM Dear Beryl, I am so thankful for your wonderful visit. It is amazing that there are so many talents for things such as sewing that eventually become lost arts. I look forward to your posting of the Patchwork Quilt. Thank You again!! o Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Mike Bayles Date: 8/9/2024 7:42:00 AM Great ending. Great lines and so much depth. One line I like is "where the struggling soul and pleating body meet." Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 9/3/2024 4:10:00 AM Hello Mike, I am sorry that I missed your comments and I am happy I went back and read them. Thank you so much and I appreciate it. - Blessings, My Friend, Daniel

Joe Maverick Date: 8/7/2024 1:17:00 PM Inspiration can be found anywhere i guess you Just need to have a want.' And the way will open Daniel, yet we can do nothing outside of the Lord..' He is Key, as you rightly recognise.) Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 9/3/2024 4:10:00 AM Hello Joe, I am sorry that I missed your comments to which I am so thankful for. Sometimes I have to go back and see who commented that I missed and I am grateful. - Blessings, My Friend, Daniel

Andrea Dietrich Date: 7/31/2024 1:17:00 PM Wow, you really know how to extend a metaphor. Great job with sewing metaphors, Daniel. The ending of your poem is wonderful. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 8/1/2024 5:28:00 AM Dear Andrea, Thank you for all your support and comments and for being a friend in Christ! I love being more experimental with my poems and look for new creative approaches. - Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Silent One Date: 7/31/2024 12:38:00 PM You used the metaphor really well and wrote a nostalgic poem.. I believe you could write on any theme.. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 8/1/2024 5:26:00 AM Dear Silent One, Thank you and I always appreciate your friendship. - Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Regina Elliott Date: 7/31/2024 4:02:00 AM What beauty in words, good friend Daniel. You have a mastery of verse. The good Lord's blesses such a sweet soul as yourself. Many blessings to you and your family. :)))) Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 8/1/2024 5:25:00 AM Dear Regina, Ahhh, what sweet comments and it filled my soul with blessings! The good Lord is our beloved Savior who fills us every day! - Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Valsa George Date: 7/30/2024 9:30:00 PM Dear Daniel, as I went through your poem, I felt that you make deep introspections everyday. The wounds and scars of life, though partially healed from time to time resurface and come to our mind every now and then. Only by stitching the tear in time, we can prevent life from being torn off like rags. Time and self care can stitch the inner wounds. With patience and compassion, we can weave together the frayed edges of our soul. As we tend to our inner scars, we can look to the Master Healer. With His help, we can emerge more whole and more resilient than before. This is exactly what I do when my wounds begin to bleed. Great poem as ever. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 8/1/2024 5:23:00 AM Dear Valsa, you have become one of my favorite philosophers and have always loved your poems and comments. The many scars that each of us has to face give us a sense of the Divine Creator, who is the true healer of time. I know that every single cut and scar brings forth the beauty and creativity of life. People ask me if there is anything you could change in your life what would that be? My answer is "Nothing" for I would not be the person I am today and would not have met so many friends because I might have become complacent and not creative or developed the skills I needed. I am always thankful for you! - Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Mystic Rose Rose Date: 7/30/2024 6:46:00 PM wow, you are an amazing seamstress in your own way dear Daniel, you make me think of Joseph and His coat of many colors, I believe you are the thread that keeps it all together, aren't you ? Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 8/1/2024 5:06:00 AM Dear Rose, What beautiful comments, and how could I not feel uplifted by your words. I always loved that story from the Bible for it teaches us so many principles and morals to live by. Thank You for all your comments!! - Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Hilda Greenhough Date: 7/30/2024 6:31:00 PM I was in awe of the metaphors of sewing in this poem. The spiritual surprise at the end was beautiful. Thanks for such a lovely work. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 8/1/2024 5:03:00 AM Dear Hilda, Thank you for your awesome comments! I try to slip God into many of my poems without being blatant. It is my subtle way of witnessing. - Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Duke Beaufort Date: 7/30/2024 3:54:00 PM Daniel, I read this with my wife since she sews and comes from a poor family that did not have much. BTW, we still have a treadle singer sewing machine that we use (although rarely). We think you created a magnificent poem. Throughout life we try to put the pieces together in a functional pattern that allows us to be the person we wish to be. My wife constantly says that people who have experienced what you describe turn out to have empathy and able to love others. This seems very special to us. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 8/1/2024 5:01:00 AM Hello Duke, I love that you still have the old sewing machine. I wish that somehow, we would have kept the one that Grandma had. When I grew up, we were cash poor but land rich since we had the farm. I will say that our clothes, cars, and most items were not purchased new, but we never went hungry. I remember being in grade school and eating my ham sandwich with real ham from the farm and baked bread watching the other kids who ate wonder bread and processed meats thinking that I wanted what they had. Little did I realize at the time that what I had was the real thing. I am so glad that you and your wife shared this poem together. That is one of the greatest honors I could ever receive. Have a great weekend. - Blessings, My Friend, Daniel

Paige Hind Date: 7/30/2024 11:55:00 AM This is deep and beautiful. I loved the metaphors and I learned some lessons about your life. Thanks. Truly enjoyed Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 8/1/2024 4:54:00 AM Dear Paige, hello my friend, and thank you so much for your wonderful words. - Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Sara Kendrick Date: 7/30/2024 9:37:00 AM Creative work. Our lives are like the backside of an embroidery piece, and when God has finished with us, we look like the right side of that same piece. I enjoyed reading it today. Thank you for sharing your talent with us. Sara K Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 7/30/2024 9:49:00 AM Dear Sara, I loved your analogy about the backside. Yes, our Lord is sanctifying us every day, and we are perfect in Him and only through Him. Thank you for being a great friend! Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Ink Empress Date: 7/30/2024 6:18:00 AM dear daniel, i read this few times and i just want to say, how brilliant of a poet you are and maybe you dont realize it too, as you are humble. But this is impeccable! I grew up with my mom and grandma sewing around me so i thought of that as i read your note on top and as i read the poem i was truly impressed by your wordplay and how youv articulated your lines in such a creative fashion! “ I devote my life to the Master Seamster the… Healer of scars.” what an ending to an introspective. Life and the constant battle with finding ones inner purpose and light and eventually turning to the master healer the knower of it all, is the ultimate conclusion and youv written about all that in sheer eloquence! I love every word woven in this and it also gives a very philosophical and wise vibe! Which i think is the main reason this deserves a fave! Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 7/30/2024 9:47:00 AM My Dearest Empress, Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful comments on my poem. Your words really touched me which is absolutely true to your heart. I am grateful for your praise and the personal connection you shared reminiscing about your own experiences growing up with your mom and grandma sewing nearby. I feel it is becoming a lost art and it saddens me. We are all sojourners going through life always seeking purpose and light and hopefully and ultimately leading to the Master Healer. Again, I always love your eloquent explanation of my poems and the philosophical depths. Empress you are a kindred spirit for sure. I am honored by your presence yesterday, now and tomorrow. Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Paula Goldsmith Date: 7/29/2024 2:18:00 PM A creative/wonderful write. As a young child, I remember my grandmother had to pump a pedal. I only saw her/her sewing machine a few times because we moved. Great Ending....  Have a blessed week writing away............ Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 7/30/2024 5:19:00 AM Dear Paula, Grandmothers were awesome and the things that they had to do without the help of electricity is amazing. I wish that we would have kept the pedal sewing machine for nostalgia's sake. Thank you for your comments. - Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Darlene De Beaulieu Date: 7/29/2024 11:18:00 AM Hello Daniel Rodgers, I find youir poem very clever thought out. i enjoyed reading this poem. Blessings my friend. /Darlene/ Login to Reply Darlene De Beaulieu Date: 7/30/2024 9:52:00 AM Hello Daniel, Thank you Daniel. I thank you for that comment. My friend. blessings my friend./ Darlene/ Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 7/30/2024 5:17:00 AM Dear Darlene, I loved your comments, and it is always a pleasure to read them. - Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Crystol Woods Date: 7/29/2024 9:41:00 AM Such a unique way to associate life with this creative art. I wrote once about the Master Maker using the knitting terminologies... this is much much better! ;) such a writer!! You always touch with your words Daniel. Xoxo Login to Reply Crystol Woods Date: 8/1/2024 12:02:00 PM I guess I actually titled it "The Maker", one of my earlier poems on page 2. Only if you get a chance and want to read it though... no obligations! Tysm Daniel! Xo Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 7/30/2024 5:15:00 AM Dear Crystol, I am always honored by your comments. I would love to read about the Master Maker if it is posted or going to be posted. I always appreciate your poems for they spark emotions which is a sign of a great poet. - Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Joseph May Date: 7/29/2024 8:09:00 AM Destiny stitches each pattern and patch of life's path, Very nicely expressed Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 7/30/2024 5:13:00 AM Hello Joe, Thank you for your visit and comments. Life is about patterns and sometimes they have to be stitched, reinforced and patched together so life can move forward. - Thanks again! - Blessings, My friend, Daniel

Victor Buhagiar Date: 7/29/2024 7:54:00 AM Brilliant idea of using sewing machines as a metaphor. Life is indeed complex and only the Almighty can help. When young I used to watch my mother using those old types of machines. My departed wife had a more modern one that no one uses today. A wonderful poem. Blessings. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 7/30/2024 5:11:00 AM Hello Victor, thank you for your kind words. Sewing was a daily occurrence among my grandmothers, mother, mother-in-law, and my wife for a while. Somehow it is becoming a lost art, and only on occasion do my wife and my oldest daughter do any sewing. - Blessings, My Friend, Daniel

Tom Woody Date: 7/29/2024 6:26:00 AM Whew! Some words here I'm not familiar with. Never been any sewers in my family. You used the terminology well though to describe a life of pain, scars and ultimately, healing with the help of the Divine. Happy to be the first to comment! Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 7/30/2024 5:08:00 AM Hello Tom, LoL! I am glad to see you were the first one to respond. I guess I knew that many of these words would not be familiar to many people, especially if you do not sew. I even thought about putting in a dictionary of terms. You know, I always have to put our God in the picture. I am always a little more subtle and hope that if a person is seeking, they may think about eternity. - Blessings, My Friend, Daniel