>From:         Christina Fletcher <[log in to unmask]>
>There's something very charming about this, Mary.  It could belong in a
set
>of poems for children.  I think you need to develop the characters: I'd
like
>to know who James is.  I feel I'm getting a snippet of a world that could
>be
>filled in by other poems.
>bw
>christina

Thank you for your comments Christina.  The characters are easy to identify
if you know about cotton and looms and such,  James is no other than James
Hargreaves inventor of the Spinning-Jenny and Jenny is his daughter.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/SChargreaves.htm

The idea of writing a set of children's poems on a similar theme is one
I had not thought of, but now you mention it, it does sound rather a good
idea.  So thanks for that. :-)

Mary

>> When winding bobbins on the loom she tends -
>> her head a mass of curls all neatly ragged -
>> she finds a thread that's loose in cloth - then mends.
>> While fingers deftly weave the thread that snagged,
>> young Jenny bends to take her food from bags,
>> and sees a mouse asleep in cotton bales.
>> 'He's dead to all the world', she thinks, then swags
>> at James, who stops to see the mouse, and pales.
>> Soft laughter reels the cotton, looms are spinning tales.