Dried flowers and lace
these ways to keep softness
pioneering out west

Some fishing with their husbands
gloves, developing callouses
no matter what, some crossed
the plains once, these others
joined wagon trains
with their husbands and children
over and over again

Tried the distance of wilderness
for others passage
Pioneer women settling place
values, conditioning generations
for survival out west

These things we’ve kept
of our grandmothers
tables, gloves, lace
these same wagon wheels
now grown in with ornamental flowers