FIRST BALLAD.

Fay Slimm.

 

 

First Ballad.

 

Symphony in the making was silently
waiting in his old workshop.
I viewed with amazement that motley
collection of well-used tools
and knew how unusual was the music
hung there adorning the walls.

 

Hammers and saws tuned in for action,
tin shears and gimlets
stood ready to combat wood-shrinkage,
old oil-stones for honing
the blades all told me they could sing to
a Maestro's conducting.

 

An old wicker-chair in which I was sitting
plaintively winced at my
young movement as I examined the magic
in that Merlin's cave for,
about to be married I needed a man who
was declared a true master
of all things wood and who by talented
hands could teach me the craft.

 

I for once was eager to learn all the hows
of the trade, thankful the chance
of fine carpentry was coming my way so
I put on my new white apron,
picked up the apprentice-stick-measure
and like a baton gave it a tap
as my first ballad was about to take shape.

 

  • Author: Fay Slimm. (Offline Offline)
  • Published: April 7th, 2018 02:30
  • Category: Unclassified
  • Views: 52
  • Users favorite of this poem: Laura🌻
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Comments +

Comments9

  • Michael Edwards

    Fay - I just love this - one of your best - it tells a great story and carried it with me every word of the read.

    • Fay Slimm.

      So pleased you were taken with this piece Michael - - I must have another attempt at tale-telling again soon. Thanks a load.

    • Daveyboyz

      Evocative of times gone by, a master of craft taking an apprentice built some special relationships. Nicely written...

      • Fay Slimm.

        Ah - your comment Davey gives me encouragement to write about more of these dying crafts as a tribute to those who as masters and learners built good relationships and left so much beauty behind. Thanks for your interesting comment..

      • Lorna

        I could smell the wood shavings in the workshop Fay and the excitement of the young apprentice..... such a beautiful picture - both word and sketch.......

        • Fay Slimm.

          Am delighted it drew you into the feel of the occasion Lorna - these unsung happenings need to be recognized as a great contribution to growing communities in their day. Thank you my friend for your encouragement.

          • Lorna

            Well your pictures of the past are so beautiful they make me yearn for it........

          • orchidee

            A fine write Fay. Are they chefs, with those hats? I wish I would shut up! lol.

            • Fay Slimm.

              The workers in wood wore such garb in the long-ago times Orchi - - - white was the preference for a clean job - - - those hats are a bit like a chef's headgear though I agree.

            • MaddieJ

              Absolutely splendid. I work with carpenters and woodworkers and this resonated for me. Thanks for sharing such a descriptive and creative piece!

              • Fay Slimm.

                Thanks Virago for your experience with such workers in wood and the tools they take care to keep sharp for the job - in days gone by handcrafted pieces were made with such care and have lasted to tell us their tale of such times. They all deserve a tribute to skills which must take a long time to perfect.

              • Laura🌻

                A fine write, my dear Fay!
                You chose a great pic to accentuate your fine write! It reminds me of my maternal grandfather’s workshop! Loved to watch him create his wooden pieces! I was very young at the time, but I can still remember the feeling! Everything in his house was made by him!

                ~Laura~

                • Fay Slimm.

                  It honours my words for them to take you back to happy times when craftsmen like your grandfather made all in the home to last and be cared for. I have an old rocking chair which has been handed down and sit on it often thinking of how many have left their own memories in every creak - - - I have written about that chair and will have to look it out soon . Bless you for sharing your young experience of valuable wood being lovingly sculpted for family use.

                  • Laura🌻

                    Thank you Fay!

                  • BRIAN & ANGELA

                    Thanks FAY ~ A GOOD POEM should tell a GOOD STORY ~ and yours is an EXCELLENT POEM ! There is always a melody being played out in busy Carpenter's Shop and I have often heard it and even a Carpenter playing BACH on a Musical Saw. You have captured the nuance perfectly in this nostalgic Poem 'n Pic ~ Thanks for sharing ~ Your MPS Friend ~ BRIAN

                  • MendedFences27

                    I will join the chorus and say that this is a well crafted piece. The link from wood to music is apropos. Think of the guitar, violin, cello, or bass; and then, there are the woodwinds, which at one time were wooden instruments. Certainly the conceptual thought of both creators of music and. say. a piece of furniture is on a par. A great first ballad. It held my interest from the get-go, and reminded me of youthful days working in a carpenters shop. Wow! A storyteller is born. Loved it. - Phil A.

                  • Goldfinch60

                    I was sitting their with you Fay, may your baton always produce fine words like these.



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