Flattened by the weight of knowledge

a whole shelf of 1959 Britannicas stacked

flowers from my garden dry and wait.

One afternoon I cut strips of handmade paper,

set out Elmers glue and toothpicks,

spread the desiccated treasures on the table.

Like playing paper dolls, but with more delicate

touch,

I arrange on the narrow blades

pink flutes of penstemon,

blue and red salvia jaws and claws,

frazzled clusters of crape myrtle,

symmetrical faces of purple robe,

pale blue fingers of dwarf lily of the Nile,

ferny yarrow leaves, cut-out Dusty Miller,

small carmine maple leaves from a lunch

with

friends.

Flowers held with a drop of glue, the

bookmarks

get laminated and trimmed, suitable now

to mark the pages of Ellaraine's books.

She collects old leather purses,

large handbags of every hue.

Using the skills and tools of an ancient craft

she cuts, molds, glues and stitches

then embosses or stamps with gold leaf

exquisite covers for journals and poems.

The smell of history in the old leather,

ghost of remembered fragrance in dried

petals,

join the rough texture of handmade paper,

invite my pen.

Biography

Patricia Wellingham-Jones, former psychology researcher/writer/editor, has been published in journals, newspapers, anthologies, and online. She has won numerous awards and been the featured poet in several journals. Her most recent books are Don‚t Turn Away: Poems About Breast Cancer, Labyrinth: Poems & Prose, Apple Blossoms at Eye Level and Lummox Press Little Red Book series, A Gathering Glance. S