Smithereens Press Chapbooks Taking the Oath by Tom French | Page 16

Altar Frontal, St. Paul’s, 1919

The wounded assume
the instruments
of peace cups of tea,
thimbles and needles,
and spools of yarn to sew the edges
of the world
together again.
Here is a cup
of suffering
stitched into linen;
songbirds waiting
for a lull
to break into song.

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