Making things

(I wrote this for the people of St. John's, Waterbury when I was preparing to retire.)

          MAKING THINGS

 

Most of the best things require

       only a few ingredients.

 

Flour, water, yeast, a pinch of salt

      (a pinch of sugar too, I’d say) and time:

       kneading , rising, kneading, rising, kneading,

       baking—you’ve got bread.

 

Grape juice, sugar, yeast (again) and more time…

        there’s the wine.

 

A simple reed, plucked from the marsh,

        a sharp knife and breath makes music.

 

Paper, thin wood, some string, a tail and patience

        makes a kite and flight….

 

Then there is this—what you have made,

        perhaps not knowing….

          The Patience you needed to deal with me!

                    The Commitment and Skill you brought to the mix.

                     The Hope and Trust to make it

                               Rise

               Ferment

               Sing

                               Fly.

            And dollop after dollop of Great Good Humor—

              that most of all.

few ingredients, but enough and more,

to make my life here joyous, wondrous, profound, incredible, magic

                      and so much fun….so much fun….

 

And I thank you for the feast of life, the song and the flight.

 

jgb/April 29, 2010