Memorial Day

MEMORIAL DAY

We used to call it Decoration Day –
A day to decorate the cemetery
With tea roses snipped from Grandma’s trellis;
To decorate old soldiers’ uniforms
With medals glistening in the sun;
To decorate kids’ bikes and wagons
With red, white and blue crepe paper;
To decorate front porch railings
With a gently furling flag;
To decorate outdoor picnic tables
With fried chicken and baked beans;
To decorate winter-weary lives
With the first holiday of summer.

Lillian, 1997

The design for the mini-quilt is adapted from a World War II era bridge tally card and fuse-appliqued.