Meet the author: Damien Ritter says, “Writing a poem is a lot like sewing. It takes a lot of piecing together, ripping apart, re-stitching, and figuring out how to tie the knot. My relationship with both of them has been a long one, but I’m always looking to improve. How can I make these stitches neater? Do I want them to look neat? These kinds of questions keep the process of creating fun and immersive.”

Threads Come With Dread
Tight knit denim
Is no force to reckon
I tug & tug
and manage to unveil the nub.
Yet stubbornly,
the needle refuses to budge.

I lose my grasp,
the needle snaps,
that’s a wrap.
These stitches are out of whack;
have my hands lost their knack?

Hanging by a thread,
my wit met its end.
I trudge back to bed
in hopes to clear my head.

Inside the red of my sheets,
a quick prick to my knee,
I was greeted
by a needle,
the escapee
from last week.

“I’ll never sew again!”
I screeched.
My tone was passionate,
but my claim was bleak:

my heart knows,
I’ll be sewing
the following week.