Thursday 7 April 2016

Sevenling: (Tricoteuse)



This is his final hour,
heart pulsing out the minutes
in elasticity of time.

She stretches out her pleasure,
a tricoteuse,
knit one purl one,

a Mother of the Nation.

Anna :o] 


De at dVerse has us writing sevenlings, new to me and great fun to do.  Cheers De! 

 Image:  Courtesy of   Wikimedia Commons
Author:  Crédit Photo Aude d'Argentré

20 comments:

De Jackson said...

"Tricoteuse" was a new word for me. NOTHING better than learning a new word! Thank you!
There's a subtle "mother of pearl" hidden in your poem, that made me smile. Great use of the form! So glad you enjoyed it. They are addicting. Feel free to link up additional Sevenlings!

tonispencer said...

What a great new word to learn! I like this...the fact that you enjoy the form is evident. I hope you will link up more.

brudberg said...

What a pillar of society - I had never heard the word, but I had heard of the facts...

Sanaa Rizvi said...

Lovely!!

Anonymous said...

They were ghoulish in the extreme, those knitting guillotine-watchers. History is full of cruely, and you have brought it to life in your clever seveling.

Unknown said...

a new word for me too! Glad I looked it up, as otherwise I would have missed much of the meaning of your poem.

Gayle Walters Rose said...

I had not heard of the word, or meaning, before either, Anna. My goodness, what was the purpose of those women sitting there knitting? An interesting little tale you tell with your sevenling!

Grace said...

A new word for me too, and I love the concluding last line ~

Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

I learnt about this gruesome practice in A Tale of Two Cities, long ago. Love your ironic little piece.

lynn__ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
lynn__ said...

Your subtle sevenling reveals the strange pleasure in another's suffering and the bloody birth of a nation. Nothing pretty about that purl!

The Bizza said...

Wow. If I hadn't looked up "tricoteuse", that would've sailed right over my head. Very subtle, solid writing.

kaykuala said...

They must be mentally tough to witness such gory happenings and to then continue knitting!


Hank

Kim M. Russell said...

I love the ghoulish frisson!

kelvin s.m. said...

It must have been tough to sit & knit while you wait for your someone's final hour, or perhaps it is her way of praying in such a moment of hopelessness. Nice one, Anna! :)

Petru J Viljoen said...

This refers to the 'hearing' of Marie Antoinette, when she was accused of incest. Even the tricoteuses were moved, even for just a moment, by her appeal to all mothers. Momentarily still human, still mothers, even if it did not last. Monsters!

grapeling said...

you've managed to grow big in such a small pen. well done ~

Unknown said...

"She stretches out her pleasure" - that is one fine line. May we all experience that feeling.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I have such a soft spot for the elderly...and I absolutely love this.

Jinksy said...

Knit one purl one? Golly - been there, done that! LOL ♥