Patchwork World

A simple 2-minute poem.

It’s a patchwork world 
Full of patchwork people 
Made up from pieces of last year’s lives

And patchwork families 
Share patchwork time
Eating quiet meals from take-out dives.

With patchwork feelings
And patchwork ties
Too many husbands and too many wives.

Reviews

[ReedWrite]

Very nice, James.
I love the concept that we bring bits and pieces of ourselves into every new situation...every new aspect of our lives. We are patchwork people...with patchwork lives...patchwork families.

My favorite part of this piece is: Share patchwork time.

We have become so invested in this, and I'm not convinced it's a good thing. I can recall spending quality time each evening, sitting outside with my grandparents and other family members around, and people talked. They interacted...or we played board games. Nowadays, we barely look up from our phones or laptops long enough to answer a question. It's just bits and pieces of superficiality we share. I'm rambling...you said it much more succinctly. Perfectly, actually. Nicely done.

[James]

I loved your review, you nailed it exactly. thank you so much

[aLittlePain]

Brilliant piece! I enjoyed it very much and leaves a flowing space for interpretation. I think we're a bit of this and that...a rich pallete of colour be it by blood or life! Fantastic writing! Regards Rach x

[James]

Thank you, so much. This was a two-minute drill poem for me. I'm glad it turned out OK.

[aLittlePain]

Impressive
You're very welcome!

[Ana Papaya]

James, I love this and all the interpretations that come to mind, but the one feeling that really pops out is that as people we are all just a mesh of our experiences and surrounding just trying to get by in this life with what we have. Be it lemons or be it beans, we struggle to find our means and be content with what we have and not dwell on what we have not.

[James]

Awesome way to look at it. I think you are probably right. Good to see you.

[Ana Papaya]

Good to see you too and happy to see you're still writing great poems. I'll swing by again.

[Lorry]

I like the imagery that your words bring to my mind here James, with us so busy working on our patch, that we don't see the beauty and wonder surrounding us, nor the connection that all the patches share. Individual works of art, making a larger work of art that we are too busy to focus our attention on, for worrying so much of our own little square.

[barleygirl]

Yes, we as humans are just bundles of contradictions . . . like a patchwork! Excellent imagery for this hodge-podge of humanity. The last line is a little startling . . . (I've never been married, largely becuz at a young age, I saw & recognized this happening to everyone I knew!)

[James]

This was a 2- minute drill poem. I write them when I'm in a writing slump to try to get back into some type of rhythm.

Thanks for reading.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

This seems to express the uncertainty and temporary nature of life in this modern age. I have always regarded patchwork as somewhere between an inferior product and art. Some love the patchwork lives while others crave something more uniform and certain. Thought provoking.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

sometimes we put together the patchwork...and it creates a quilt of monotony....and we hope the new year won't be like the previous one...

this is so good..reminds me of the kind of lyrics Paul Simon would write...and i idolized S&G when in college..Saw them in '69

was kind of a patchwork concert...new tunes from Bridge over Troubled Water..an album still about three months away from being released.

terrific poem, James...your poetry amazes and inspires me.

j.

[James]

Wow, Thanks, for such a wonderful compliment Jacob. I haven't been writing very much lately and this one came out of a 2 minute writing drill I do when I get in a slump.

How awesome was that concert, I'm a huge fan of S&G too.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I saw so many concerts at SIU...and in other venues...they top the charts by far...the best concert i ever saw..i expected too much and thought i would surely be disappointed...but i was simply blown away...only James Taylor, Elton
John and Linda Ronstadt are in the same ball park...but not close. even Dylan twice didn't equal them once.

[Jacob Clifford]

Very true. Our world is far from perfect. It's just a bunch of imperfect people living imperfect lives, doing their best. Parts of our lives fall through, and a little bit of them always stay with us.