Recently at MenilFest, a group of poets could be found that would write poetry on the spot, dedicated to you and your chosen topic. It just so happened that my good friend and proprietor of Houston's greatest watering hole, Mongoose vs. Cobra, Shafer Hall, had already conceived and put to paper a poem that I rather like and think you will too.
Without further ado, I give to you, the world, The Wood and How We Work It, by Shafer Hall.
For some folks, it's about
the sound of the spindle
sanding, and for some
it is the smooth curl
of white oak when
the chisel slides
along its geometric plane.
Some see the forms and faces
inside the fallen tree,
others seek the more material
high of shellac
in the poorly-ventilated garage.
Most of us are just looking
for a place to sit and drink
a beer; the best table
is not a table until
a few of us are sitting there.
That guy in the basement
is having the time of his life
so later we can have
the time of ours.
