https://Voice.club - She snuggles close against my side at night. The click, click of knitting needles are a magnet pulling her attention and her body close to mine.
As needles click and yarn unrolls across the floor (aided by the cat to whom yarn is prey and he a stalking predator in the wild), she looks up and makes a request. “Knit me a sunset, Nani. Knit me stars in the sky at night and a rainbow for the day.”
And so, I knit. I knit reds and oranges of the setting sun. I knit golden stars in a midnight sky, and I knit redorangeyellowgreenblueindigoviolet around and around our lives.
Between the reds and oranges, I knit in cricket’s song and night owl’s hoots, soft winds blowing and deer bending muzzle-to-stream to quietly drink before bedding down for the night.
Scattered amongst the golden stars I knit wishes wished and promises made, warm nights before campfires with voices lifting up to drift in the heavens, polishing the stars’ glow with the chamois-soft lullaby of song.
Knit inside the rainbow I place days filled with laughter from silly songs and stories shared, an awareness and awe of the powerful life force held in common by all living creatures, and the joy of learning just what that life has to offer.
The slight body beside me relaxes in sleep. I move her gently from couch to bed, then cover her with the warmth and color of my love. Sides tucked in, forehead kissed, night words sung, I retreat to downstairs adulthood, leaving her to dream her dreams, embraced by sunset, rainbow, and stars.
Susan, I love the child’s request to be knitted a sunset, stars and a rainbow. You cleverly appealed to the reader’s senses through colours, creatures’ sounds, imagery and “chamois-soft” feelings. What beautiful kaleidoscopes interweave through your autobiography! Your words are so magical that I read " For Lily Kate" several times!
Margarida, thank you for your uplifting comments. Lily Kate is 11 years old and when her dad played this for her, she had him call me so she could tell me, “Thank you, Nani! I love it!”. The happiness in her voice still warms my heart.
What a cute and tender read, Susan. I love imagining my grandmother knitting while I am watching beside her then I fall asleep. Such a relaxing story. Well done.
Thank you, Lotchie, for reading and commenting on my story. I enjoyed sharing this with others, especially with my granddaughter Lily Kate who told me she “loved (my) poem.”. Prose poetry is perfect for expressing feelings. It is my favorite style in which to write. Thanks again for your nice comments.
You are the poet of the knitting needles, Susan! Love the sounds and sights you offer us here. The perfect accompaniment to Nana love. A beautiful tribute!
Thank you for your sweet comments on my story. I’m glad you enjoyed it, and I’m glad you are a part of the Voice Club Community! I look forward to reading some of your contributions, also!
Hello Susan. I just read this story again. It has to be one of the most beautiful, tender, vivid, soft and endearing pieces you’ve written! It really touched my heart! I wish I could write like this!
Hi Deborah - I totally agree with you! I also wish I could write like this, but at the moment I can barely pick up the pen, because I have been stuck with writers block again!
Deborah, I have been writing for over 20 years and feel as if I am just beginning to come into my element. I feel the best way to improve your writing is by reading other pieces in order to learn from the styles you like, and then to continue to write and write and write. Not only do you grow as an author, but you learn a lot about yourself in the process! By entering your writings into this forum, you have the advantage of being critiqued by like writers.
I look forward to reading more of your writing in the near future.
I know what you mean, Chris. Every week I say, “I am totally out of ideas” and yet manage to come up with one pretty quickly. Not all of them are publishable, but at least I am still writing. Hang in there and write.
Thank you for your encouragement Susan. I do love to write. My imagination coupled with many muse’s, helps to conjure up a story! I do wish I could be a little more descriptive like you and the other writers though. It does take me hours to rewrite and edit several times. This is always a work in progress. I find writing is an amazing outlet.
Hey Deborah - I think it takes most of us hours to rewrite and edit. I know that’s true for all of my stories! I can’t remember ever just sitting down and having a story flow from beginning to end without needing improvements. I have sometime spent days just trying to find one perfect word for a phrase. So I’d say that you are totally on the right track! Just keep writing and reading and making comments. I think your writing has already moved up many levels since you started. We’re all behind you!!
