The retirement Village where I live was making “teddies for tragedies”. The idea is that when children are ill or lonely, a teddy is given to them which they keep.
The teddies knitted have to conform to a set pattern so that one child’s teddy is no better than another’s. The only variation is the colours chosen by the knitter. I have never knitted therefore had to learn.
I learned how to knit so I could make this little bear,
Plainly made with no covering of fur to keep it warm,
Every stitch that I formed was made with loving care
As I knitted I pictured a child awash in life’s storm.
Perhaps a child is feeling lonely, abandoned, lost or ill,
Set adrift in a sea of sadness but will find some peace,
Find cuddling this little bear’s far better than a pill
And for a little while it will help their fears to cease.
If only I could give this unknown child a way to know,
That if it were possible I would hold them in my arms,
Rock them gently until their flood of tears no longer flow,
Keep them safe and secure from the worlds’ many harms.
Tenderly, in my big hands, I hold this simple knitted bear,
A toy that is designed to comfort, to help a child to cope,
That will be given to little hands for them to hold and care,
Teddies made for tragedies that are filled with love and hope.
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