This week in my poetry workshop, we were asked to write a poem about a chair. We had five minutes to make a start. Our homework was to rework the poem and send to the small poets group.
The chair I selected was a red vinyl rocker that was in our t.v. room. It was the chair that both of my parents vied for to watch television, read the paper or sew.
This rocker, calmed a child after a nightmare. Lulled a baby to sleep after an evening feeding, or a backrest for a child to sit on the floor between dad’s legs to get an ear massage. Early memories included a pedestal ashtray for cigarette butts. It was removed after younger brother Brian was found to be eating the butts in the ashes.
Later, the rocker was reupholstered with a golden velvet fabric. It moved to the new home across the street. It still had a prominent place in the den where the t.v. was located.
When mom and dad passed, the rocker was not claimed by any of my siblings. It showed hard use. The velvet was stained with many nights of eating while watching the news and sports. The arm rests were worn. The back fabric was stained from dad’s hair tonic. It had seen better days.
My husband, John, put the old rocker in our basement for a project to work on. I volunteered to help with removing the old covering fabric.
I found three sets of staples noting three different fabric covers . The red vinyl was really a leather. Another fabric was under this layer. There were three layers of coverings. We removed all the old staples and straw stuffing then tightened the joints of the frame.
I found there were flat wooden arms on the original rocker. The many nicks and staple holes would give the piece a distressed look when finished with a coating of varnish.
The frame was tightened , varnish applied and a new rolled stuffing was applied for the seat and back. now we needed fabric to complete the rocker.
We went to Hobby Lobby to peruse the fabric selection. We chose a blue plaid that would be a good choice for many rooms. We didn’t need the chair so we ask my brother Craig and his wife Karen if they could use the rocker. They took the rocker to their summer home on Beaver island for the guest bedroom. Lauren , their daughter in law, used the rocker while nursing the grand babies. Thought the grandchildren are no longer babies, the rocker waits to welcome a guest to rock and look out over Lake Michigan.
musical chairs
Around the chair, We race..
soft center
worn arms waiting
bouncing up and down
on Daddy’s foot
Shrieks of laughter,
Holding onto the wood edged back
Red vinyl worn smooth from rough play.
a rocker full of memories.
Cast aside for the junk.
A man remembers.
takes the chair home.
Strip to it’s core.
Glued, new covers, stuffing.
Repaired for a new generation’s lullabies.
carolaspot@aol.com Nov.27th. 2023
traveling up and down the blind highway 