Tools ask, "What do you
Want us for?" -- a task, a
Chore, seldom called for,
But delighted you are there
For scraping, planing,
Chiseling and all remaining
Arts of heartfelt repair.
"We know," they say.
"It's why we stay in this
Barn bench drawer, in dust.
Old things need renewal,
What we are for. We must--
Table, the old door, we must."
Old tools need to be used for their intended purpose...just like us. Don't you find that the old tools are much more comfortable 'to hand' than the new ones? Is it because they know their job so well?
ReplyDeleteI have indeed noticed that comfort "to hand" in old tools. They engage their work with a habit and authority that I can't take full credit for. There is some magic in them.
DeleteIt's wonderful to have the skills to fix old items, which are often better made and of better materials. And so full of memories.
ReplyDeleteI see what you did there with the eyes :)
Yes, Jenny, the old energetic, slightly manic, eyes invite activity --like our kitchen table. The two planes beaming from gray dust are typical of what Delores comments above. They're eager for adjustment to one or three varnish layers to peel and shatter off without harming the oak underneath.
DeleteWhen I visited your post here today a strange feeling came over me, like I wasn't alone, like someone else was watching me.
ReplyDeleteLon, it's the same feeling I get when I open that drawer.
DeleteYour barn drawer looks somewhat like my kitchen drawer ... I have one just like yours, friend Geo ... literally everything is in it ... screwdriver, hammer, light bulbs, sewing stuff, batteries, keys for unknown doors, lighters and matches, scotch tape, airplane ear phones ... you name it it's in there ... smiles ... Happy new week, friend Geo ... Love, cat.
ReplyDeleteCat, 50 years ago I wrote a poem that included the line, "Is the junk-drawer not always to the left of the sink?" People at my school who read it thought I was psychic, except the left-handed ones --whose junk & tool drawers were right of the sink. Happy week to you as well!
DeleteProfound!
ReplyDeleteold tools wait long to be in use ,sometime we don't need them for long time and dust occupies their original being
This disguise ask us " why we did this to them?"
Dear baili, there are tools in our barn that were purchased by my grandfather over 100 years ago. Sometimes a job requires them and they are perfect. They have a life of their own in the hands of ongoing generations, an importance. Even under a coat of dust, their value endures.
DeleteAww...so moving!
ReplyDeleteThis really spoke to me...I have always had a sneaky suspicion that all things (including so-called "inanimate" objects like tools) had consciousness too...and could think and communicate - if we would only listen!!
Oh this is wonderful and I really, really love it!!! :))
Most kind and perceptive comment. Old tools communicate in form and function. They instruct the craftperson, the restorer, by fitting the hand in a certain way and inviting accuracy. That's definitely communication, Ygraine, which implies consciousness.
DeleteEvery word and line is fit together so nicely in this - your Barn Yard Drawer. Another delight, Geo. I especially like the repeated "We must."
ReplyDeleteBe well and safe, friend.
Dear Robyn, thank you. This poem was composed here on the keyboard, which is the opposite of usual procedure, then handwritten in my journal. I don't usually think in words when restoring things --just actions. You be well and safe too, my friend.
DeleteLovely. We have drawers like this, and good intentions that say, we must!
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Rosemary! Our gardens, tools and projects teach us so much.
Delete