"The Grand Ol' Hat" -

 My Great Aunt, Jennie Beckington, 1905

My Grandmother, Marguerite Hutchins Beckington, born 1892 

The Grand Ol' Hat

                       The

           Good

Ol'

Edwardian Days

When swirling skirts gracefully 

Swept the floor, ankles carefully hidden.

Puffed up like a proud pigeon and resembled

   An instrument measuring time.

Oh, how to show

Individuality? Dare

We suggest such a

Thing?  A prim and

Proper young

Lady

Must wear her hat squarely

Upon her head; no silly feather, please!

But, if one had a desire for a bit of frivolity, well a trip

To the Hat Maker might just do the trick.  A feather added and tilted

To one        side, a splendid ornate hat to promenade.  A       multitude 

Of other       frivolous items could grace the crown:  A poppy,      a plume,

How         about a large cabbage rose?  A bit overwhelming?          Well,

 That was         the very idea!  To have fun, live a little, after all,             it was

 Just                           a hat.  The only thing exposed                          was 

Hair!                        Sometimes splurged, and added a                     bird?

Well,                                 Not a whole bird,                                   nor 

Even                                             a                                           whole

Wing.                                       For                                      many

Years,                             Twenty                           in fact, 

The               Audabon Society            fought

To outlaw such animal cruelty!  

Even hat pins were subject to the law!

Why, they could only extend so far - dangerous

Weapons they.  Known for poking, scraping and stabbing!

Regulations on how far they could protrude without hat-pin

Protectors. Some were banned from public transportation, in fact.

So, no whole birds, but how about bunches of cherries, blackberries

Or ribbon rosettes?  Hats made to whirl, flow and dip; some swathed in

Tulle.  Some glorious hats mysteriously rested upon the hair, thanks to 

The secret of “wadded” hair saved from thy very own brush to make the 

Grand pompadour!   Possibly a bit of mystery might be desired; was that

Even allowed?   It could be arranged with a bit of cobweb trim hanging

Over the face.  Social gatherings were not complete without one’s hat,

In fact it was part of proper etiquette.   Quite disgraceful to be seen

Without!  Even the little widow could not step out... all in black, of

Course.  No feather for that would be too gay but the veil was ok.

Oh yes,  the good  Ol’ Edwardian Days!  Most likely styles to never 

Be seen again. Glimpsed by some of us still alive as we watched

Our grandmothers step out.   Those wonderfully grand ladies who knew 

How to dress in style, held on to their "vogue" until the very end. White 

Gloves, snap purse dangling at the elbow, and perhaps, the hats a

Bit smaller, but there non-the-less.  Ornate glasses framed many of 

Their smiling faces, pearls circling their necks.  Still buttoned up with 

Proper skirt line maintained; although a few inches shorter.  How “modern”

They must have felt.  So here’s a nod to the grand ladies of old, who wore

Those hats with such style and grace.  How were they able to carry off

Such hats as these? Looking at the photos, their eyes might offer a clue.   

The                    Women's

Suffra                     gette's

Atti                        tude?

 In Courage                 And Honor.          

by Margaret Bednar, Art Happens 365, originally written January 2011.

* * * * *

This "shape" poem has been resurrected for dVerse.   The idea today is tackling a big subject such as life, death, love, relationships, war, the passing of time, etc and present them in a new light; interesting ways of looking at them.  I hope I succeeded a bit.  This is also a Critique challenge.  So, please feel free to offer ideas for improvements - they are welcome and will be considered. :)


I also hooked this up with Words in Sync's "Weekend Creation blog Hop" - potpourri of talent.  

I remember going through the hat boxes in my grandmother's attic.  They were piled atop one another and these "ancient" hats were packed amongst newspaper.  By the time I was born, I don't think she wore them anymore - and I had a hard time imagining her in them.  How I wish I had those hats today.  At least I have a few photos.

In the photo above, I love that all the ladies have their "automobile" hats on.  My grandmother is sitting in the first row, third from left. (or first one sitting on the right)

In this photo, my grandmother is with her friends.  She is the one in the center with her ever present pearls and purse in the crook of her arm and ... one of two with a head piece on.  It was taken in the year of 1961.