darning patterns on net

makes lace

all you need

is a single thread of floss

so fine you would think it was spun

by an albino weaving spider

a silver needle sharp and pure

as rubbing alcohol

a stolen porcelain thimble inlaid

with peridot crystals

the soft, hopeful light

of an amber enamel lamp

a cobalt glass goblet of

sweetened carbonated water

flavored with birch oil and sassafras

and of course you do need to submit

to the white, trembling

unanswerable logic

of making lace embroidery

on mosquito netting

it helps to have an armful of doves

lavender-necked, shy, quiet

fluttering gray brocade

wings on your roof

not to mention the kindness

of a good man who never leaves

scuff marks across your