She was cut on the bias
Strong and reliable
Fluid and flexible
From land to mill
Picking cotton with blistering fingers in hot plantations
Boiling silkworms, removing fine thread with bleeding skin under fiery Indian sun
Weaving wool with risk of being scalped in dark cold mills
She did the work
From mill to market
She haggled and gathered
She was cut on the bias
From century to century
All over the world
She flowed and covered the gaps, courageous and shrewd
She was cut on the bias.
Karen Byrne