A Poem: The Women Gather

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The women gatherlike painted brides/ a tapestryof eyes/ hands/ knees/ hearts like open basketspieces of their peace/ fragments of their dreamssnatches of their lives/ with their mothersmothers rhythms/ visions/ breathprints/ wrapped in their bosomThe women gatherdropping tongues in terra-cotta bowlswith their bibles and charms/ bluz, boogie, herbs, oils, and curlsseeing eyes and gospel pearls/ heady laughter/ lies and tearsrolling like Jordan/ prayers, rituals, and folktalesstuffed between their teeth/ a bloodline rich in mahoganyThe women gathermothers, daughters, sisters, wives, and sweetheartsgrannies and aunt sister bell and hoochies with their hellhoundsand hollars/ their children and men/ lost lovers/ liftedleftover/ forever and lasting with skeletons/ secrets/ gri-griand hush-hush folded in little bitty piecsThe women gatherknitting hands/ re-stitching their livesreconnecting the circlepiecing the quilt to keep him warmfrom generations for generations and generations to come.The poem above is from Shirley's LeFlore's debut book of poetry, Brassbones & Rainbows: The Collected Works of Shirley Bradley LeFlore, published in 2013 by 2Leaf Press.Writer Jacqui Germain sat down with LeFlore for an interview about her life and work