THE FABRIC OF OUR LIVES

THE FABRIC OF LIFE

WOVEN IN A TAPESTRY OF COLOR AND TEXTURE

EACH UNIQUE WITH IT'S SUBTLE DIFFERENCES

ONE MAY BE RICH AND VIBRANT

ANOTHER ALL ETHERAL SHADES OF GRAY

SOME ARE HUNG PROUDLY LIKE BANNERS

UNFURLING AND BLOWING IN THE WIND

OTHERS ARE STARCHED AND FOLDED 

KEPT IN DRAWERS FOR NO ONE TO SEE

A FEW ARE SPUN WITH SILVER AND GOLD THREAD

SILK'S AND VELVET'S, LACE AS SOFT AS A SPIDERS WEB

OTHERS ARE COTTON BROADCLOTH STRONG AS A SAIL

FLANNEL SOFT AND WARM AS A SUMMER EVENING

DENIM, FADED, BEATEN AND FRAYED

LIKE A FAVORITE PAIR OF JEANS

AND OTHERS ARE OF SACKCLOTH, DRY SCRATCHY, UNPLEASANT

WE CHOSE THE COLORS EACH DAY OF OUR LIVES

WE CHOSE THE TEXTURE EACH DAY AS WELL

SOME SO EXQUISITE THEY BELONG IN A MUSEUM

OTHERS ARE MORE FAMILIAR

WE MAY SEE MORE THAN ONE IN A DAY

YET EACH PROFOUNDLY PERSONAL

BUT DO WE NOTICE THEM?

EVEN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ARE OFTEN IGNORED

UNOBSERVED IN ALL THEIR GRANDEUR 

AND SOME OF THE GARISH AND BOLD ARE SEEN

LOUDLY THEY PROCLAIM THEIR BEING

WHILE SOME ARE SO MUTED AS TO BE SILENT WITNESSES

A FAMILY MIGHT CONTAIN ONE OR TWENTY

EACH UNIQUE AND VASTLY DIFFERENT OR CONNECTED WITH TIES THAT BIND

SOME TASSELED WITH PRIDE SOME TATTERED FROM USE

IN TIME ALL BECOME WORN AND FRAIL

MANY FRAGILE AND DELICATELY PATCHED

SOME AGE MORE RAPIDLY, THAN OTHERS

WHILE SOME REMAIN AS FRESH AND CRISP

AS A WHITE SHEET HANGING IN THE SUN TO DRY

FAINT INFLUENCES WILL ALTER EACH ONE 

WITH EVERY PASSING DAY

TOMORROW,  NEW THREADS ENTWINED

WITH OLD, CREATING TENDER DANCES

JOINED INTO THE WEAVE OF THE TAPESTRY OF OUR LIVES

TONY SCARPA 5/4/2018

every day we add more to the tapestry known as life