English Oak

Poem

My English Oak Writing Desk and Bench

The man who made my desk

Knew a good deal about my temperament

He had a useful informer:

His friend the child who grew up

Exposed to my cultural influence

Now a woman entering university

I drew my technical design

And passed it to AT exactly a month ago

Stressing the two most important measurements

Humeral length

Tibial length

For poise it has

Carthusian exactness

The oak is untreated

Character grade

I have yet to imbibe its grain

My first piece of writing was the cheque

For one thousand two hundred pounds sterling

I wrote this with my Waterman Concorde

Êncre Havanne

The desk was installed after Vespers of

The Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul Apostles

And consecrated after the Dominical Rosary Eight in the evening

Sunday June twenty-ninth

Two thousand fourteen

Sitting at it for the first

Was a drawing out of grace, words, and deep inventiveness

So let me learn the mystery of the bench and desk’s grain and character

Epiloque

The commission gave me opportunity to encourage the craftsman to use protective accessories: certified visor, respiratory filters and dust extractors, skin protection, correct lifting technique. Only this week, the Health and Safety Executive published its report on Asthma and Occupational Exposure to Allergens, wood dust being one of the most irritant.