#denise blake

[mixtapes]

by Denise Blake.

[mixtapes]

I found a case in the attic three years after Mummy died. Blue and green tartan vinyl hoarding her dressmaking ends. I held each piece to find the trace of Tweed perfume a tomato-shaped pin cushion worn wrapped around her wrist as she tacked us together; the measuring tape used to decree how mini was my miniskirt; velvet ribbons that tied our Easter bonnets. There were scraps from outfits she had made: marshmallow-pink cotton with white polka dots for 'Singing in the Rain' at the school concert; broderie anglaise, my sister's communion dress; navy jersey of a baby boy's sailor suit; lime-green bouclé that made Mummy Jackie Kennedy chic; psychedelic red and blue prints for my first bell-bottom pants; gold satin of her ball gown. I saw those swathes of fabrics she had folded for our future. Closing the case was pulling down the coffin lid again. We had our proms, our weddings, our babies' christenings, dressed in store-bought clothes.

Remnants by Denise Blake