Cloth

A simple piece of cloth Square, rectangular, oblong Soft blue, pink, green Woven, nubby or smooth It matters not Cloth Swaddling my infant babe Cloth In tatters Bearing injuries honorably Chewed, dragged, hugged Kitty, bear or tiger Cloth comes alive In my toddler’s arms Cloth Stretched over table or chair Tent, house or fire station My busy lad Creates an island of safety So proud am I and is he Cloth At preschool Comforting Cuddled briefly Stuffed quickly Into a backpack Forgotten in busy play Cloth Lying inert Discarded In an attic chest Squatting On the ground My teen barely notices Its displacement His mind alive New ideas New destinations New loves Cloth over his marriage bed Immaculately placed Or rumpled, tossed, lost Covering two Sometimes three Or more Bills litter the surface by day Crumbs hide within by night A polka-dotted pattern Tears of joy and sorrow Aged now Letting go Of all But this one piece of cloth Grateful for its presence Wrapping, wrapping Boundaries fading Cloth as a shroud Returning his body To its source A blanket is never just a blanket....