An old sewing machine's
thick needle and thread
dives into red silk,
tracing short seams
with taut stitches.
Firm warm hands
smooth the cloth
pulling folds
of fabric, bunched
loose around the needle.
A final tug tests
the thread-lines, stretched
close to bursting, easing
a finger along one seam
to feel the coarse
tingle of raised stitches.
Sliding off, the dress
exposes a bare oak top,
polished life-long
by two hands that know the craft.