Today’s episode is the poem “Purls for Jo” by Janeen Pergrin Rastall
Purls for Jo
For Jo Doran
3 AM. Night nestles the porch railings.
The wind has stopped knocking. Across the bay,
street lights stitch Marquette’s alleyways,
like the woman who casts on her knots of grief,
weaves in loose ends, draws from friends.
Her needles pierce each empty space
and she purls the darkness.
When that woman falls into illness
you want to make a nest,
cushion her, unravel the layettes,
the soft scarves and socks
she once knit,
to tug against the dark, gather back
her years of gleaming threads.
A version of this poem first appeared Escape into Life
This poem is part of Hearts to Hearts 2020 Pandemic Literary Project. In Hearts to Hearts, authors from around the country share their poems, prose and words of support to the UPHS staff in Marquette and to all those who keep us safe and healthy during this pandemic. Find Hearts to Hearts at https://marquettepoetscircle.wordpress.com/