John Adams and Ghandi both
encouraged homespun cloth
to keep from supporting
the oppressor, England,
in different eras, continents.
Ghandi carried his spinning wheel,
and Abigail must have thought
through many issues at her loom.
Today my back-to-the-basics projects
do nothing to change history,
and they keep me away
from marches and such.
Am I simply one
of the multitudinous
seed disks that drop
from my ancient elm in spring
so that somewhere another bit
of earth might enjoy shade?
I think I am,
and I keep treadling away.
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