The Ekphrastic Review
  • The Ekphrastic Review
  • The Ekphrastic Challenges
    • Challenge Archives
  • Ebooks
  • Prizes
  • Book Shelf
    • TERcets Podcast
  • The Ekphrastic Academy
  • Give
  • Submit
  • Contact
  • About/Masthead

The Long Flight of Fancy, by Ellaraine Lockie

12/7/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture
Knitted Shawl by Joan Besley (USA) at Rane Gallery, Taos, New Mexico. Photography by Ellaraine Lockie.

The Long Flight of Fancy


Ancient Egyptians sharpened branches
and looped strings of cotton to craft stockings
Muslims created silk cushion covers and gloves
in the round using pins
Servants of Queen Elizabeth I knitted
her silk stockings and fine woolens on coarse wires
Curved needles produced layered sweaters  
that kept fisherman warm in harsh weather
in Ireland and Scotland 

As they rode, Chinese caravan men 
grabbed handfuls of hair from camels 
to roll, twist and knit with sticks into foot warmers 
American women followed Eleanor Roosevelt to war
armed with steel-stilettoed needles, gloves 
and balaclavas for the home front 

Today we knit with wings that carry us
high above earthly stress, grief or loneliness
Up here we fly free as the wearable art we create
We pull in the thick green fur of mountain trees
The sequin blue shimmer of lakes
White fleece like fog settling into them

Rayon sunsets of pink, purple and red
Bamboo ribbons of rolling hills
that offset the synthetic sheen of cities
Silk slippery as the seaweed of mermaids' hair
Each stitch a tick tenacious as ocean waves 
And then, because we already own 
at least fifteen such fashions
We wrap a loved one or perhaps a shopping stranger
in the warm saltwater constancy of our craft

Ellaraine Lockie

This poem was first published at The Centrifugal Eye.
​

Ellaraine Lockie is a widely published and awarded poet, nonfiction book author and essayist.  Her thirteenth chapbook, Tripping with the Top Down, was recently released from FootHills Publishing.  Earlier collections have won the Encircle Publications Chapbook Contest, the Poetry Forum Press Chapbook Contest Prize, San Gabriel Valley Poetry Festival Chapbook Contest, the Aurorean Chapbook Choice Award and Best Individual Collection Award from Purple Patch magazine in England.  Ellaraine teaches poetry workshops and serves as Poetry Editor for the lifestyles magazine, Lilipoh.
1 Comment
Andrea Niehuis
12/12/2017 04:43:53 pm

Wonderful poem esp for us knitters, such a wonderful tribute to the history of a wonderful artform.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    The Ekphrastic Review
    Picture
    Current Prompt
    COOKIES/PRIVACY

    This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies.

    Opt Out of Cookies
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Join us: Facebook and Bluesky
    @ekphrasticreview.



    ​
    ​Archives
    ​

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015

    Lorette C. Luzajic [email protected] 

  • The Ekphrastic Review
  • The Ekphrastic Challenges
    • Challenge Archives
  • Ebooks
  • Prizes
  • Book Shelf
    • TERcets Podcast
  • The Ekphrastic Academy
  • Give
  • Submit
  • Contact
  • About/Masthead