Poetry
Ant on a Peony bud. photo by James Cummings
Here you will find a collection of favorite poems, some of which have been recorded, others just typed. Please click on selected titles, to hear them. These mp3 audio files are best heard using Internet Explorer browser, and with external speakers hooked up to your PC.
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Read the poetry of Patricia Cummings by clicking on the link.
"Mending Wall" by Robert Frost, as recited by Patricia Cummings
The Quilt
©1994 Bob Rotruck, CWO3. USN (RET)
The quilt is a special homemade spread,
Love is poured into it like homemade bread.
Each cloth patch has its own story to tell,
Like a shirt piece torn when I ran and fell.
Or a piece of trouser leg torn by a sharp plow,
Or a hunk of sock grabbed by that fat ole sow.
Use some from the sunbonnet worn out from toil,
Or the handkerchief sweat filled from plowing the soil.
Uncle John's shirt torn by barbed wire,
Or the remains of Pap's shirt burned by the fire.
The grape stained piece from the jar that exploded,
The powder burned piece from the gun that was loaded.
And, oh my, the overalls that wore out,
She patched the knees until she would shout,
It's time for this to go to the quilt bag,
They're too old and worn and they've begun to sag."
Dozens of scraps from feed sack dresses,
All these patches and each God blesses.
For on a farm naught goes to waste,
Especially a scrap of cloth torn in haste.
Next time you see a quilt on the clothesline,
Just know that each patch has a place in time.
Visit the file: The Quilts of Maude Elizabeth Miller McElfish to read more of Bob's poetry and to see a quilt made by his grandmother.
Audio files
"I am nobody, who are you?"
#288, written circa 1861
by Emily Dickinson
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
"Calico Garden," a reproduction quilt by Patricia Cummings
photo by James Cummings
~~~~~~
I know a little garden close,
set thick with lily and red rose,
Where I would wander if I might,
from dewy morn to dewy night.
~~~~~~
William Morris (1834-1896)
I SAW A SHIP
Kate Greenaway, from Under the Window
I saw a ship that sailed the sea,
It left me as the sun went down;
The white birds flew, and
followed it
To town - to London town.
Right sad were we to
stand alone,
And see it pass so far
away;
And yet we knew some
ship would come -
Some other ship - some
other day.
The original Greenaway watercolour drawing that accompanied this poem features two little girls, with their parasols, walking near the sea.
Fishing boat at sunset, Málaga, Spain. photo by Patricia Cummings, 1972
HIGH FLIGHT
by John Gillespie Magee, a WWII fighter pilot
THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
THE DUEL
by Eugene Fields
a poem about the Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat
In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae
Lt. Col. John McCrae (1872-1918) was a prominent and successful physician and teacher at McGill University when he enlisted for active duty during WWI. The Canadian doctor wrote the poem above the day after a friend was killed. He has forever immortalized the "poppy" as a flower that brings to mind our beloved war dead.
Any day is a good time to remember our patriots who have given their lives in the name of freedom and all the ideals that we treasure. With love, with sadness, and with poignant memories, we remember all who have crossed the bridge to eternal peace.
The following poem was recited at both my niece's wedding, and years later, at my mother's funeral in 2005.
by Edgar Lee Masters, 1916
A Prayer for Today
This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it---or use it for good, but what I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it!
When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place, something that I have traded for it. I want it to be gain, and not loss; good, and not evil; success, and not failure, in order that I shall not regret the price I have paid for it. ~Anonymous~
The above piece of writing was shared in a letter sent to us from Annette Johnston, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada http://www.naturescolours.ca
Words from a 1792 Sampler
"A Hymn to Prosperity"
by Anonymous
Celestial maid receive this prayer!
If ever thy beam divine
Should Gild the brow of toiling care,
And Bless a hut like mine:
Let humble worth, without a fear,
Approach my ready door
Nor let me ever see a tear,
Regardless, from the poor!
O bless me with an honest mind,
Above all selfish ends,
Humanely warm to all mankind,
And cordial to my friends.
With conscious truth and honour still,
My actions let me guide,
And give no fear, but that of ill,
No scorn, but that of pride.
Thus form'd, thus happy let me dare
On Heaven's dread King to gaze
Conclude my night in ardent pray'r,
and wake my morn with praise:
That hence my soul may hope to prove
The utmost saints can know,
And share His gracious smile above,
Whose laws she kept below.
Please see Poetry - page 2 for more of Bob Rotruck's poems and for an explanation about his inspiration to write poetry. Also, read his inspirational Christian poem, "A Friend at My Side."
December 2007 additions:
MORE POEMS by Bob Rotruck, CW03, United States Navy (RET)
Site Map for Quilter's Muse Publications' website
Songs in Spanish, an educational file of songs, sung and translated by Patricia Cummings.
This page was prepared for educational purposes by Patricia Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH. updated on Feb. 22, 2009.
Write to: pat@quiltersmuse.com