Annie's Quilt Poem by Chris Embrick

Annie had a room at the end of the hall
She had no family left and friends she could call
Just a few photographs and an antique clock
A rainbow of rags in an old cardboard box
Baby blue and pink from her children's clothes
A square in each corner with a lavender rose.

Three yards of blue satin and a stranger's warm smile
Was all it took for Annie to invite me in for a while
I'd sit for hours just watching her work
Making beautiful art from old aprons and shirts
Each piece a treasure from experience and dreams
Annie recorded her life in stitches and seams.

White Sunday satin, curtains and lace
Each piece crafted and in the right place
She blended circles and squares, some faded some bright
Her hands worked for hours stitching her pieces of life
Neatly placed memories from cotton and silk
Annie sewed them together in a beautiful quilt.

Silver and gold on colorful spools
A needle and thread were her only tools
Careful to place each piece by the years
Some pieces brought smiles, some patterns brought tears
Annie talked and she listened as we soon became friends
I'd always leave with a promise to come back again.

I came by to visit after a long business trip
I wondered if Annie ever finished her quilt
But her room was empty at the end of the hall
The nurse said Annie died last week when she took a bad fall
Then she handed me a box with a hand written note
I read over and over the words Annie wrote


To my dearest John, how sweet you've been
Thank you for being here when I needed a friend
I know it's not much just old rags and yarn
But when the weather turns cold it'll keep you warm.

I spread Annie's quilt on my bed that night
I knew I'd dream about her when I turned out the lights
How she sewed a patchwork of memories from the people she'd known
Some pieces borrowed, some of them her own
A master work of art from rags old and new
And surrounding them all, a satin border of blue.