A Note to the Moth Who Ate My Sweater
I hope that you are feeling better
now that you are full of sweater.
But, frankly, don't you think it's rude
to use my clothes as common food?
I'd rather share my bread and rolls
than deal with sweaters full of holes.
The next time you intend to dine
on sweaters that are clearly mine,
I must insist -- call you to task --
don't take a bite unless you ask.
By now, I think you surely know
the answer is a big, loud,
NO!
by Denise Rodgers
This man is obviously unmarried and an orphan. In that day and age nobody with a woman in his life walked around with a hole like that in a sweater. Oh, there might have been a little unravelling here and there or a hole at the sides or the back left unmended, but that gaping yaw would not have been tolerated by the good and thrifty Norwegian women of the time. They could mend anything.
Bjorn or Jan or maybe Ole?... looks like a serious man with a purpose, but entirely oblivious to his clothing! His coat is thrown open as if to draw even more attention to the hole. Look, he didn't have to have his hand in his pocket - it could have been adjusted ever so slightly and might have hidden the hole but, no - he apparently doesn't think the hole is a problem!
Sartorial correctness was likely not high on our skiers list of priorities. Would anyone wear a double breasted jacket on a ski slope, ever? Or flaunt such a hole? But wait....I see now that it could be a uniform tunic! That sweater might have been some sort of military issue and that's why there was nobody around to mend it.
The more I look at it, the more I speculate that the hole was created deliberately. It must be a hole with a specific purpose. Maybe it gave him easy access while skiing to something useful, like a weapon or a compass.
And what about that single bamboo pole? So many mysteries behind those probing Norwegian eyes.......schuss on over to Sepia Saturday for more even more speculation and fascinatingstories about people, skiers, snow and family history.
I loved your take on the prompt picture. Truth be told, I didn't look at the photo that closely & missed the hole altogether! The poem is great, too. What fun!
ReplyDeleteGreat comment, but maybe you are being a little harsh on this gentleman - perhaps the hole only opened up while he was out skiing and he hadn't noticed it yet.
ReplyDeleteI have a bad habit of making something out of nothing.
DeletePerhaps the pole made the hole! Fine poem.
ReplyDeleteRight...leaning on it while chatting up the ladies.
DeleteI just read that 1 pole skiing was the norm until the early 1900s. Perhaps he lived alone and didn't care about his sweater slowly unraveling.
ReplyDelete1-pole skiing? I suppose he had to work it like an oar alternating left and right???
ReplyDeleteLove the poem.
Until you mentioned it I hadn't really noticed his clothes. It is that strange, hard look on his face that fascinates me.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the focus on the hole in the sweater! Nice twist on the theme, Helen...I'm laughing!
ReplyDeleteYes! Finally I saw that hole immediately and hoped someone would say something. Then I began to wonder, is it my eyes, maybe it truly isn't a hole! I totally enjoyed this!
ReplyDeleteI also didn't look that closely to the photo. He does look a little bit rugged in a not so proper way. I guess he could have caught is sweater on a tree while skiing by one.
ReplyDeleteLove the poem. It's so absolutely perfect for the theme of your post.
ReplyDeleteNancy
Very funny spin on the photograph.
ReplyDeleteAnd you may be right in your speculations.
Perhaps it has a purpose...
Very funny poem! I enjoyed your analysis of the picture too. I didn't look at it that closely before, but now the photo seem kind of ridiculous.
ReplyDelete