Poetry About Craftsmanship

A plane draws one pale ribbon from the oak. The joiner tests the grain with both thumbs. No nail will hide a careless measurement. Years live inside the angle of the wrist. By dusk, two fitted boards hold without speech. Good work makes patience visible.

Return once more to the exact detail. The joiner tests the grain with both thumbs. Its silence contains more than we expected. By dusk, two fitted boards hold without speech. Careful seeing becomes its own reply. Good work makes patience visible.

A plane draws one pale ribbon from the oak. Hours pass, but the image does not leave. No nail will hide a careless measurement. It returns us to skill, patience, tools, repetition, material knowledge, and work made to endure. By dusk, two fitted boards hold without speech. The day continues with a more attentive heart.