Selvage

Selvage

Dana Ryan

Like seamstresses, 
the downtrodden
seek the selvage 
at earth’s satin edges,
that line demarcating 
ruin’s beginning or end, 
the barrier against 
unraveling.

One loose thread can undo 
   a garment,
      a tablecloth,
         a life…
for once the fraying starts
when does it stop?

We, the Bride, 
must gather
the tattered threads—
the worn, the ragged, the thin—
cradling them with 
gentle hands, then 
weaving weft and warp
to fashion the skirt, 
the bodice, 
   the sheer cascade 
      of holy veil.

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Dana Ryan
Writer & Photographer

Dana writes from Southern California, where she also takes photos of flowers and people and other beautiful things. Her work can be found in The Clayjar Review and The Rabbit Room. 

Photography by Wesley Sanchez