Since I First Touched Wood

Since I first touched wood,
30 years or so ago,
I lust to feel the softness of it's touch,
after being sanded and finished...
to view the harmony in the beauty of the grain,to sand, work with and smell...
to be in wondering of it's many ways...
to think of how it grew,
to somehow think of myself being able to melt into the grain,
to think of what it could be like to be a tree,
grounded in it's ways,
growing slowly,
constantly,
of the earth...
in some way it makes me wonder of my destiny and place with the world,
knowing that I'm using that tree...
those that use it, must be thoughtful of the way they use it,
and what their going to do with it,
knowing that we must use it with respect...

I think of being a boy,
I think of the years growing into a craftsman,
I think of being a man in appreciation of all these years living,
since I first touched wood...

July 14, 1996 - 5:15 a.m.
copyright J.A.C.