> *Prose Poem The Syntax of their Hands*
>
I like the detail of this, Andrew, and the sense of 'shared vocabulary.' I
find myself put off (or out of touch) by "on a couch with nothing in common
between them but womanhood." Do I or you share a common sense of "manhood"
when we sit on a couch with other men? It seems an outmoded concept or way
of looking to me.
Otherwise I really like the intimacy of this.
Stephen V
>
> Two women, one Chinese and the other Australian, on a couch with nothing in
> common between them but womanhood.
>
> Two women, with needle and thread in hand, baby's clothes in the other,
> repairing the wear and tear of night and day,
>
> trading knowledge from one new culture to the next, ancient, of stitches and
> how to replace buttons with press-studs.
>
> They fall silent and stitch, and the syntax of their hands says more than
> tongues.
>
> One stops and the other looks up.
>
> 'You want to sew the press-studs?' She holds them out to illustrate and
> points to where three studs should go.
>
> 'Ah,' the other woman nods, 'ah.'
>
> They swap sewing garments and smile and go back to sewing.
>
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