| Michael Graber
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| The Woodworker (for Charles Havelka) To wake the sparrow and nuthatch from the oak stump, he hums in key with the handsaw. Never a word about his wife, a carving he made and married. She took his light touch personally, envied the flaws his fingers savored on others as unique. With stolen chisels and his mallet she hobbles into the deep woods and makes herself into a harp. She circles the head of a feral cat around and around, uses its intestines as strings. Driftwood is chosen for tone, pinegum for glue and perfume. While she dries in the day, the woodworker thrives in new grain. The knots remind him of his wife: an imperfection nature granted his callused hands to clinch with salt or leave disturbed. |
Copyright © 1999 Michael Graber All Rights Reserved |
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