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Sport 28: Autumn 2002
Poise
Poise
At the end of the day,
thankful for the river
which scatters the gold leaves
he stretches and pounds
to the green light he beats
between paper and skin
and later, the thin sheets
he places on leather
for the delicate act of cutting,
the artisan acknowledges his small role
in the tableaux of trinkets,
edging and illumination
of manuscripts,
the history of masterpieces
brought to perfection
only to be melted
and mixed easily with water
or upturned beneath
sumptuous and biblical skies,
and his dependence on men
who having tapped rich veins
now breathe slowly
in rectangular rooms.
He understands that his floor
will recall neither pedestals
nor outstretched hands,
that his anvil has no memory
of clamour.