From la citta of Pordenone, to the golden promised land,
Saw my Pappa for the first time, held on tight to mamma’s hand.
I was six then, still so little and now I’m eighty-one,
Two more sisters and a brother and then my mum was done!
At school I loved the nuns, their habits brown and sleek.
I listened with keen ears and I learned more every week.

I taught myself to sew and then at college honed my skills,
Found my first job making blouses, well it helped to pay the bills!
Next, I worked at Siltex and then moved to AP lingerie.
I loved it working there – they got 30 years from me!
What the young girls are wearing now, well it just doesn’t seem right.
The skirts are far too short and everything’s so tight.

The clothes are not well made and the workmanship is poor.
I miss the classic elegance that clothing had before.
Used to spend hours with the grandkids, playing games and having fun,
The time we spent together somehow kept me feeling young.
Now they’re all grown up and leaving, the youngest’s 21.
She’s just gone off to college and I’ll miss her now she’s gone.

These days I do volunteering, at the OP shop down the street,
And helping disabled kiddies, the sweetest children you could meet.
I’m still very creative, I paint, crochet and knit.
I’m excited by this project, glad to be a part of it.
I’ve sewn for almost all my life, it’s such a part of me.
Patience and attention – yes, I think that that’s the key.

By Lydra’s resident Poet – Kate Toon