Ode to a Crowbar

This entry is part 20 of 31 in the series Odes to Tools

 

Comma, apostrophe, back-
slash, cursive flourish —
an all-purpose divider
that only accidentally resembles
a question mark in search
of its dot-like perch.
No self-respecting crow, beak
clever at leverage, ever
departed from
the declarative mode.
Male & female
hand & handle,
heavy as Wednesday.
What iron tree might ramify
if you insinuated yourself
into some sidewalk crack?
I know that curl
from watching seeds sprout:
cotyledon at the point
of pulling apart.

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Series Navigation← Ode to Tin SnipsOde to a Coping Saw →

7 Replies to “Ode to a Crowbar”

  1. At first I wondered about “as heavy as Wednesday. Then I realized that Wednesday is in the middle of the week and has to include the weight of three days on either side. I liked that and having to think about it.

  2. Sometimes the word or phrase that sounds best is also what makes the most sense – even if it’s a hidden kind of sense. Glad this worked for you, too.

  3. Thanks, guys. Marja-Leena, you’re right – there is something very satisfying about pulling things out, or apart, with a crowbar, though I didn’t really focus on that in the poem. Material perhaps for another crowbar poem down the road.

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