Courtesy of NewNeedlepoint.com
Courtesy of hartsfinebooks.com
Elaine Slater
Lyrics
Excerpt set to tune of "My Way", A Woman’s version:
In temple, mosque or church
We found in each and every pulpit,
Were men who said that we,
Since days of Eve, were still the culprit.
And when we knelt to pray with searching eyes
Turned longing sky-way,
We heard the Pastor say,
"DON’T do it THY way."
And the final verse:
And now, our eyes are blurred,
We do not see each brand new wrinkle,
On pills, our speech is slurred,
"Forget your name" - "I have to tinkle."
We've lived a life that's full
We've even surfed the info highway.
And now, at last we say,
"I'll do it MY way"
Excerpt from lyric for original composition by Zita Petrak "Get Lost":
I’m so tired and tempest tossed
Tired of being double-crossed
Of abuse, of being bossed,
(When you make promises all your fingers are crossed)
What about grabbing your things and getting lost
Poetry
"Looking Back"
1st Prize Winner Dundas Poetry Contest, Ontario
Excerpt:
When Steinem and Friedan burst into view,
Articulating things we subliminally knew
We came out of the closet, from under bell jars,
We breathed a new freedom, mentally burning those bras.
We began new careers as lowly beginner
One thing was sure - we didn’t want to make dinner!
Gone Wedgwood and Sterling, In crockery and pewter,
Gone typewriter ribbon, In crashing computer.
Gone muscle tone, diaphragms, monthly mood crashes
In cellulite, hearing aids, hot sweats and flashes.
"Grief"
1st Prize Winner Dundas Poetry Contest, Ontario
Excerpt:
I shall drown in so many tears. And who will be refreshed or even moved to pity?
Come childhood memories! Come back to hold me in your embrace.
Lend me time to refill the well of tears. What shall I force forward from the mists of memory?
The barn. Set in the green landscape of my youth, Horses munching contentedly,
Their warm wet bodies steaming. kittens frolicking in the prickly straw.
The young girl sits on wooden steps leading to the hayloft.
She bites into a crisp new apple, each bite a wondrous wedge,
Still warm with the tart-sweet taste of late summer.
Instructional Books
Now out of print, these books are hard to find, but still possible. They make needlepoint amazingly easy, with clear graphs for a multitude of stitches and include some wonderful ideas for original creations.
- The New York Times Book of Needlepoint
- The New York Times Book of Needlepoint for Left Handers
- Elaine Slater's Book of Needlepoint Projects