Featured Poem: Buttons 

By Nancy Haskett
Modesto Branch

 

An old round tin,

perhaps once filled with candy,

is slightly dented by years of use,

the lid printed with a scene of palm trees,

striped awnings, an arched bridge over water,

some of it iridescent at the right angle

in the light.

 

Hidden away

in a drawer of my grandmother’s old sewing cabinet,

it’s filled with buttons,

some still unused on original display cards,

a few cloth-covered to match a red coat,

a large one made to resemble antique brass,

another with a tiny coat of arms,

a silver one with a peace symbol,

browns, blues, greens, golds,

varying shades of white, cream, gray, violet,

shiny, dull, smooth, patterned,

two holes, four holes, or tiny fastener loop

underneath.

 

These are the leftovers and extras

from clothes worn out, thrown out,

or given away years ago –

they rattle as I pick through them

like multicolored coins

that now purchase memories

of garments handmade

by my mother and grandmother.

14 comments

  1. mary l gardner says:

    Nancy Haskitt’s reminds me of my mother’s tin-box collection of buttons, which, over the years, featured the every-day to precious “beyond-buttons” which she had removed and kept long after the fancy garment had been tossed away. The box was bequeathed to
    a grandchild who was showing signs of artistic genius.

  2. Andrea Walker says:

    Lovely memories of not only the buttons, but also the tins. I recently selected 5 different but similar buttons to sew on a soft old gray sweater that I wear only at home. It spruced it right up! Thanks for sharing!

  3. What is it about buttons that are so intriguing? I somehow think men might not have the same interest or feeling like women do. I to remember scooping up handfuls of buttons from a decorative glass container enjoying the sound and the feel on my hands as they pour back into container. Years and years of saving buttons.

    Thank you, Nancy for the flash back of memories.

  4. Dorinda Palmisano says:

    Save for the picture on the cover this tin is right now upstairs in my house! How comforting to know this is a shared scenario. Thank you for this wonderful slice of your past and present life.

  5. Barbara Castle Hanson says:

    I also have a large tin box with a red dented cover full of my mother’s and my grandmother’s buttons! I sometimes pull a bunch of them out and enjoy looking at them and feeling them .
    Your poem is well crafted and full of nostalgic emotion. Thank’s for sharing!

  6. Fletcher Shipp says:

    Lovely visual…I had one I inherited, too. Dispersed long ago, but I still remember the feel of those buttons. Thanks for the memory.💖

  7. This idea of the buttons saved from clothes no longer in existence brings back memories for me of my mother and grandmother both. Frugal and yet aware of the decorative value of small bits of style or beauty. Thanks for sharing.

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