As attached to an invisible thread,
We are bound to all humanity,
Through this communion we are wed,
To a common sense of sanity.
When round about our strings combine,
Care should be enlisted,
For as with any rope or twine,
Our threads are easily twisted.
The unravelling reel, the looping lash,
Beware the rope that’s rotted,
The curling cord, the whirling sash,
Are never far from knotted.
. This string is neither noose nor tether,
. It’s the thing that holds us all together.

© Tim Grace, 14 January 2011

To the reader: Our bond to others is invisible; thread-like. We imagine threads as social ‘ties’. Family ties are life-long; others are short-lived and useful for just a moment of interaction. Regardless of strength and character the invisible threads can tangle to a mighty mess. Attending to the health of our invisible threads is important. Frayed and worn-out threads lose their flexibility and stretch; become difficult to manage, and are far from dependable. In rope we trust.

To the poet: The neatness of each four-lined verse helps to ‘tie’ this sonnet together; it’s well packaged, well bundled… well versed. In a later sonnet, the invisible thread is again used as the main reference-point. As an invisible subject, a thread has endless possibility for metaphorical word-play. Whether rope string or cord; it ravels, loops and twists obligingly around your topic of choice. Money for rope.

invisible thread