Best Craftsman Poems
There was a builder named Manole
-a genius in his craft-
His reputation reached a knight
who hired him at once
to build a stunning monastery
on the Romanian land...
Whenever builder named Manole
was finishing his task
An evil rain demolished walls
with envy in its drops
and yet again brick onto brick
he built his reputation - thick
So on a stormy day wife of Manole
Was sacrificed as she reached his site
With bricks and tears and tears and bricks
He sealed the wall - as pillar ... she with child -
While selfish knight heard builders on the roof:
"Next time a greater church we'll plan"
Demonic knight removed the ladders
and let them stranded so they would die
Manole said:"Let's build tough wings of shingles"
And one by one they tried to fly
As deadly force attracted to their Fate...
Since then the breeze is crying loud...with child...
for Carolyn and John's Contest "Legends"
Categories:
craftsman, imagination
Form:
Free verse
Back a couple of years ago,
My friend Rosie bought
her daughter, a
"Ready To Assemble"
six drawer white melamine chest
Now, of course, I was chosen
For it's assembly,
Even with fingers part frozen,
I sat on the floor,
Opened all the parts,
Oh, an easy enough chore!!
My reward a six pack of beer,
Which I kept very near,
Chuggin' as my work does progress,
I started creating one hell of a mess
Well, some three hours later,
My head now all a'buzz
I finished my appointed task,
Oh, how easy it really was!!!
Well I offficially presented
my treasured work,
Until we all did notice,
That I was quite a jerk...
The chest tilted at a 25% angle,
A couple of cracked knobs, did jangle,
The drawers all a'skew
Gaps on one side,
The other one far more true,
A host of superfluous bonus parts,
Left over when I was done,
Is there supposed to be 2 chests?
Or just that only one
It was neigh all but impossible
To use these useless drawers,
The whole thing teethering
And, just what was the cause?
Well, it wound up on the curb,
Merely new garbage and wasted time,
Yet no one availed themselves of it,
The waste was such a crime
So if you need a handyman,
A jack of all trades, than you,
Can call on dear old tom,
For but a six pack of brew.
Categories:
craftsman, adventure, funny, work,
Form:
Burlesque
Twiddle, twiddle,
Work and whittle.
You say with wood
You have to fiddle.
Building cabinets
And turning bowls
The saw roars
And the lathe rolls.
A simple piece
Of wood we see.
You have the sight
Of what can be.
A piece of nothing
So lovingly held.
But with your tools
You soon meld.
And from your heart
Wonders appear.
Works of art
That we hold dear.
Categories:
craftsman, art, father, people,
Form:
Rhyme
Some shout no to corporate welfare
And spit on those who say otherwise.
Tax loopholes seem unfair,
To those who minimize
Their day-to-day and scrutinize
The monthly budget.
The craftsmen yowl this advice,
Be a Maker, Not a Taker.
An artisan lists out what's true and fair;
A list of various jobs and supplies.
To complete his family's share
Of fruited endeavors reprise.
The labor like clockwork unifies
The sons and daughters sextet.
The craftsmen sing a fanfare to canonize,
Be a Maker, Not a Taker.
The effort rolls on in splendor
Fulfilling and occupying their lives.
Each embraces the craft and takes care
To improve with each enterprise.
They learn new ways to devise,
A trio rhythm to the minuet.
Until their breath greets sunset,
Be a Maker, Not a Taker.
Years hence others apprise
The fruits of their labors sweat.
Finished works inspire others to reprise,
Be a Maker, Not a Taker.
Categories:
craftsman, america, art, care, character,
Form:
Ballade
The cookies were raw, must be the salt,
The oven's a little bit broke,
And the cake didn't rise, flat as a tack,
Must have been a faulty egg yoke,
Maybe the hammer is bent at the head,
Maybe the saw is just blunt,
Maybe I need a new set of tools,
So I can work like a normal adult,
You see, each time I work to create something new,
And it doesn't turn out like it should,
I tend to blame the things that I use,
By saying they are simply no good,
But deep in my mind, in the silence of me,
I know why things don't end up like I plan,
I know it's not the tools that I use,
I know I'm a crap handyman.
Categories:
craftsman, funny, introspection,
Form:
Quatrain
This broken vessel leaked its bitter bile
from every spider crack of spiraling webs
damaged by a lover of careless means
refurbished by the hands of a master craftsman
who learned his trade in lonely liquid years of blackness
filled with empty bottles of blame
damp darkness dripping from his eyes
he honed his craft through sleepless nights
of reflection to learn the art of renewal
as he filled each crack with memories
then covered them in blown dust
from fool's gold
until he could forgive himself
and give his heart a renewed bounty of beauty
8/17/21
contest Broken Poetry
Categories:
craftsman, emotions, forgiveness,
Form:
Free verse
Suddenly without bedmate and counterpart
one month shy of fifty years, no deity could answer
razor sharp emotional pain cut to the quick
recollecting ballroom dancer
himself as a handsome youth so graceful and suave,
fast as Bill Haley, or comet
and lightly afoot in seventh heaven as a prancer
oh..and ever the debonair, humorous, and loving romancer
where pixie dust sprinkled via an invisible en trancer.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Uterine/ovarian Cancer metastasized
dealing deathblow, and took more than mother away
her rigor mortis terminated love labor lost,
whence second love sans father,
his hands no longer did oh bay,
whose once passion to ply his creative handiwork
heartfelt interest hardened as sun baked clay
where formerly, he spent energy and time
drafting designs and building ornate creations
most every night and day,
which lifelong penchant to draw
(deepseated and etched within his genes)
until profound grief did flay
dealt mortal kombat towards,
whence toiling at basement workbench
colored his world blackish gray
nor would he respond, and only tearful sorrow
exuded upon losing the special maiden, whom he lay
down and begot thyself and two sisters,
during living years sans lightness of being an a may
fly expert designer, creator and builder –
during me chilhood objects like play
house and Flintsone car
(with license plate to boot), beaming with ray
dee ants at products of imagination got wrought,
until grim reaper did slay
purposefulness and will power to remain alive
pronounced sadness witness loss of appetite
and considerable diminishing beefiness obvious
without him getting atop scale for a weigh
but fate smiled upon accursed widowerhood,
and now for quite some time,
a gal took hull hiking to history
and the restaurant at the end
of the galaxy they went – yay!
Categories:
craftsman, adventure, age, angst, appreciation,
Form:
Ballade
He could take what most found, in the time of that
Particular incumbent fashion, to be lacking in any
Pleasing or greatly passionate way,
And, after immersing it into low, blue flame,
Repeatedly beat upon this quivering mass as
If it were but a whitened molten lump when
Drawn from violent, torturing heat constrained
Deep within some smith's insatiable forge;
Seen there the blistered face, scorched forearms
Impervious to the fizz and burn of popping sparks;
Blackened hammer wielded by a gnarly hand,
The repeated raising; forceful, downward strikes --
High-pitched ringing chimes of metal on metal;
And him, the better craftsman, bent desperately
To his task, shaping something new and
Disturbingly strange...
While, amassed amid the silent roaring of those
Unremarkable fields,
An idealistic generation, readied, prepared to spill
Its hot, innocent young blood over a sea of
Flowering petals for the valueless ideal of an
Unworthy hour spawned by a vile whoring b***h
Before it slunk back into the lengthening
Shadows of a withering age.
Categories:
craftsman, age, inspiration, tribute,
Form:
Free verse
My Grandpa was a craftsman.
He was ,by trade, a carpenter.
He could drive a nail real far,
and would work in dust for us.
My Grandpa was a craftsman.
He would measure all the wood,
with poor eyesight, best he could.
He would make cabinets and drawers,
even when his hands had sores!
My Grandpa was a craftsman.
He would say , he asked an elf,
to help him build my bedroom shelf.
When, I requested the color lime,
he would say he had the time.
My Grandpa was a craftsman.
Copyright McCuen 2009
Categories:
craftsman, family, children
Form:
Free verse
Death of mother hallowed out silence
more painful then buzzing power tool,
aye never again saw,
nor heard industriousness jollity eviced,
contrasted when mourning did rule
wrought immediate cessation
from his strong lance throwing arms,
where artisanal magic did un spool
and ample tears streamed down raw cheeks
enough to fill a pool
uncertain if sparring with depression sprung
via loss of a Coney Island jewel
whose poverty she claimed (shamefully)
most meals comprising thin gruel
rescuing a damsel in distress thence deceased didst fuel
unwonted burded, and forced him to spar
with fear he might lose the duel
left alone in a old mansion
with only fond fading memories utmost cruel.
Categories:
craftsman, dad, dance, death, deep,
Form:
Ballade
CRAFTSMAN AVATAR
The source of what we perceive in the physical world
Is a question that exercises the wisest of minds
Nonetheless it seems, as nature is slowly unfurled
There's a pattern and form that speak of creation divine
So it is in the microcosm: this artisan skill
In the mind of the craftsman a new creation takes form
Then materials are forged with meticulous care to his will
Thus an instrument, object of function and beauty is born
With unswerving purpose, growing discernment, affinity
The mind and hand shape the substance, the wood and the plate
'Til it takes such exquisite colour, form and symmetry
That those who behold it are moved to higher estate
Such art is in the domain of sacred cause
Therefore craftsman, it stands that a spark of divine is yours.
Categories:
craftsman, creation,
Form:
Sonnet
Naked, abused, humiliated
Crumpled human shell, lifeless and deflated
Holy spirit risen to Godly ministry
Beyond the grave and dust
Forever, majestic ruler
Satan crushed, Christ Exalted!
For Raul Moreno's contest-The Deposition by Michelangelo
Thank you Raul for the challenge, great work!!
Categories:
craftsman, art
Form:
Ekphrasis
God established the color of His children
Yes, we are all of God's children
Well, we are one big extended family across the earth
More than that, we are brothers and sisters, kinfolks to each other
Our skin colors are an evolutionary adaptation and process due to the environmental conditions that we dwell in
Meanwhile, in the Garden of Eden, every color possesses a natural beauty within itself, but somehow evil drifts in the opposite direction of the will of God
Thus, religion has played a significant role in propagating hate, slavery, and racism for control, profit, and power over mankind
Well, God did not create black and white people, thus He used humus (Dark, earthy, rich, black soil) to create Adam
Furthermore, God specifically made a rainbow race of people
no shade of black nor shade of white - just red-orange, blue and green and a little bit of indigo
Notice that a rainbow doesn't have the colors black or white inside of the bending arc across the earth.
In summary, God is a wonderful creator and thus a master craftsman!
Categories:
craftsman, image, imagery, imagination, religious,
Form:
Free verse
There was a craftsman named Handy
Who used to a craftsman dandy
everyday day he'd make
a craved wooden stakes
and boxes shaped like hearts to hold candies
7/11/19
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr. 2019©
Categories:
craftsman, analogy, caregiving, character, funny,
Form:
Limerick
With golden hand
Craftsman creates
Arts beyond time.
Categories:
craftsman, appreciation, art, engagement, perspective,
Form:
Than-Bauk