Thoughts on World Workers

World Workers

As she took apart the curtains she bought for $3.75,
She thought how well made they were.
The very tiny folded edges to prevent frays
Were a bitch to redo.
She spent hours cutting, pinning and ironing
The sheer fragile fabric.

As she ironed she praised those women in China
Slaving in the big factory, working for next to
Nothing living in tiny rooms, having to buy
Company food at the company store.
She praised and thanked the women in
Those countries who made her leather sneakers
That cost only $9.95.
She blessed the women who made the jeans
Tops, and dresses she wore, knowing that over
95% of clothes bought in the U.S. were foreign made.
She vowed never to shop at Wal-Mart
And try to only buy things made in humane conditions.

She remembered her Grandmother who
Worked in the blouse factory.
How beautifully Grandma Louise sewed.
Each stitch was a work of art,
Grandma could sew sheer silk without a hitch.
By then she was so tired she couldn’t thread the sewing machine,
Her hands shook as she tried to get the seam
Exactly straight, which made her love?
Her meticulous sisters, mothers and family in sewing even more.

The next day she finished sewing the curtains,
Wishing she had bought the right size.
Whoops they were uneven,
She tore apart her makeshift seams and attempted
To even them out.
Finally she could live with her imperfect curtains.

As she cleaned up the sewing mess,
She noticed the packages the curtains came in.
It read, “Fabric imported from Turkey and sewn in the U.S.A.”


LHA 1/09/06