Counseling A Pair of Jeans

Fixing these jeans
is like trying to repair
what has happened to us
over the years.

I take out old stitches
from repairs that did not hold:
Too much strain on thin thread.
My green-handled seem-ripper
rips through this stitch
as though it were never a problem.

And look at this stain!
I'll leave it as a reminder
not to spill things carelessly
like ill-mouthed words
that can never be taken back.

The left pocket bulges slightly
with a hint of secrecy,
and over here are two tiny holes,
frayed like nerves.

Although the blue has faded
like old promises,
the fabric is still good.

But then, if I thought
they weren't repairable
I wouldn't be fixing them.

Lorraine Geiger
2nd Place: FSPA contest 1995
3rd Place: FSPA contest 1991
Published: Florida State Poets Association Anthology 19