Each purl stitch was interlaced
with love from the touch
of her gentle hands.
She, the teacher,
me, the student,
as our bodies
sank into the big sofa
checkered in a
seventy’s palette.

For a new teen,
my love for her
went unmeasured.
Now, fully immersed
in motherhood
after three decades,
the mom role is
clear as plate glass,
how heart and mind
require flexibility,
the juggling
of many hats.

Her wisdom mingles
with my thoughts
so often that I whisper,
“I get it, Mom.”
Teardrops of love
struggle for freedom,
grief clutches at my heart.

Autumn browns, reds,
yellows, and oranges
from that afghan
warmed memories
over the years,
but at some point,
my novice knitwork
must have slipped a stitch
because those warm shades
unraveled through the seasons,
crafting a hole in the center
that mirrors the chasm in my heart
from missing her.

Lauren Scott (c)