The Chair

                                               The Chair

found homeless and wasting

riddled with the bugs

bugs of time and want and damp green

moss

found bundled in crumbling outer skins

water drifted with

 

heart red    -   and real   -   and

cedar scent         -         

belligerent 

kicking like asses 

in refusal.

brittle arms gone    -   or broken      -

push gnarly, knotted lumping pain 

long ago ... 

a stump ... of stubborn clinging

it

lays on it's side defiant to all the winds ............

winds of north and winds of south relentlessly 

pursuing the smoothing ... glossing picture of wild abandon

i took them in

i took them all and put them

put them big and small into my own fitting designs

hacking and sawing with gnats and hog wallows grabbing attentions

pulling, hauling, trudging up to the reckoning 

i began

with wire brush then

 on a spindle whirling and whirling dust of 

maybe a hundred years ... who can tell ... i was busy ... i didn't care

it was the heart and intent of that tree i wanted

searched for   -    and 

found ..................... it

formed ........................it 

bathed ..................... it 

fit it,  

glued it and screwed it .....

formed now 

to each other

E

10/30/2019

Author's Note

The picture is of my first attempt at building a chair. It is made from dead fall cedar that I harvested from out back and down the holler....an adventure all in itself ;)

Reviews

[Yana Larson]

This poem is a raw, visceral exploration of transformation and reclaiming something that has been neglected or forgotten. The imagery is earthy and gritty, with lines like *“riddled with the bugs / bugs of time and want and damp green moss”* evoking decay and the passage of time. The speaker seems to take something broken and abandoned—a fallen tree, perhaps—and breathes new life into it, shaping it with determination and care. The action of restoration, *“hacking and sawing with gnats and hog wallows,”* contrasts with the beauty of what is being formed: the *“heart and intent of that tree.”*

The poem’s tone and style call to mind the works of poets like Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath, who often explore nature’s raw power, decay, and the process of reinvention. The fragmented structure and use of disjointed imagery lend a sense of urgency and physicality to the act of reconstruction, making the final transformation all the more powerful. Overall, the poem’s intensity, paired with its focus on restoration and renewal, makes it a compelling meditation on resilience and the beauty found in rebirth.

[Einstein Noodle]

wow ... Yana ... i am so glad to meet you .. your analysis is deeply revealing of yourself, me thinks .. can't tell you the depth of my gratitude for the depth your review expresses .. both sensitive and thoughtful .. i will be visiting your street soon as i think your life must be one of river rapids swum and mountain craigs overcome ... blessing to you from me ol' heart .. i have not been a whole lot motivated and am busy now with making a move from my blissful woods and cabin for the big sky and open prairies to the north :) love and peace
E.

[Yana Larson]

I'm glad my review lifted your spirits. I hope it inspires you to write more. Yeah, come visit me on my page. Welcome :))) have a wonderful day and thank you!

[Einstein Noodle]

:) .........................

[adornoscousin]

I think this poem also speaks to humanity's ability to change, craft, and manipulate nature. We flatten hills, fly, create art etc. Sometimes we do this for foolish reasons but many times we create something beautiful as you did in this poem.

[Einstein Noodle]

how true how true .. foolish is a good word for some of the things we change and the way we change them in and on the earth ... and beauty can be found in unlikely and perhaps unattractive places as well ... especially concerning humanity .. we all just need a little polishing now and again ;) ... really appreciate the time you take to read some of these older poems of mine ... says a lot my friend! be well ... health and assurance
E.

[a]

Perfect narrative. You have built perfect verses for a beautiful and simple theme. You are a brilliant author. Congratulations!

[Einstein Noodle]

wow! thank you sir .. not so sure about brilliant tho :))))))))) nice to meet you Heider .. i'll head over your way soon and repay the visit .. i'm tickled you chose this one and brought me back to it ... building the chair and then the poem, those experiences, are close to me .. tho rough .. they came out ok i think .. peace on Earth brother
E.

[Ruth]

This really moved me E. The process of your healing the chair as I see it brought you two together in some understanding of a bonding of sorts. I always say inanimate objects have energy and we do bond to/with them in a way...I could see, feel and smell the chair even from your descriptions within this poem, you are a brilliant writer! :)

[Einstein Noodle]

thank you so much Ruth ..i believe it too ... its the energy in all things i think ... when we touch .. take time .. listen with quiet spirit ... the pulse is everywhere ... love your read on this .. God bless always! :)
E.

[Betty Hermelee]

Preserving something you love, no matter what condition, like a deep relationship with it, makes you feel useful and together as one. Nice!

[Einstein Noodle]

yes it does ... when i work with wood .. i am conscious of the oils in my hands working into it ... the mossy, dirt caked, bug eaten skin of the deadfall cedar that chair was made from .. only needed the layers taken off ... one by one ... the wood almost tells you what it is all about and when "working it" is done ... thanks for reading and i love your sensitivity and understanding ... we are sympatico eh!? :) peace and joy Betty!
E.

[Betty Hermelee]

I got this one yay!!! Fondly, Betty

[Einstein Noodle]

:) .................

[.]

I enjoyed this poem, dear E, but even more the attached photograph and the result of your harvesting of the dead and broken tree. It's wonderful to give something old and used a new lease of life with a little TLC; we live in such a world where wastage is very extreme, so its lovely to see you take the time and care to gather these pieces and remake them into a new form. In a way, this poem can be a metaphor for ourselves; we can reach a point in life where we may find ourselves unwanted and discarded and all it takes is a little love and care to restore us to our true selves again. So, well done with this poem and lovely crafting in the picture! Much enjoyed! :)

[Einstein Noodle]

thank you Jamila, for your very kind words .. i love where you take this ... i retired about 6-7 yrs ago from a career in Nursing and re-defining ones self ... and/or finding true self .. well ... never too young nor old for such adventures eh!? love on ya! be very well always .. thank you for your visit!
E.

[sharonlee]

Two masterpieces I see here... no make that three... the chair, the poem and poet... bravo!

[Einstein Noodle]

awwwwwwwww you make be blush! thank you so much for this encouragement ... not surprised you like this one ... the connections ... there is great beauty all around isn't there ... so sometimes obscured ... just takes a little nudge here and there to bring it our ... i've been working at a cedar stump (with roots) to use as an end table ... i cut two slices of a burl for the tops ... the stump will sit with roots up and the burls nestled in the roots ... i found the stump (a dead fall... over 3 yrs. ago and it has taken this long to have it ready to put together ;) some things you just can't hurry along eh!? .. like this old man :))))))))))))))))
so glad you read and commented sharonlee ... best of the day to ya!
E.

[sharonlee]

The end table sounds like an exciting project!
There is something very special about natural wood x.

[Einstein Noodle]

;) .......................

[Dara]

I have found that people who write poetry have other artistic abilities. Little did I know you were a skilled craftsman as well! Your poem is a beautiful tribute, a testament to this wonderful creation. I am especially fond of natural looking furniture and trees. The tender loving care You put into building this exquisite piece shines and your words allow us a peek into your journey of creating it. Simply wonderful on both counts E.

[Einstein Noodle]

thank you Dara .. you are so kind and incredibly encouraging to me this morning ... so humbled and gratified you enjoyed ... yes .. i love "finding" cedar dead falls in the forest out back (so fortunate) and hauling them home ... covered in moss, dirt and time ... honestly it only takes small effort to bring their beauty out ... i am almost done with a stump base and burl tops for an end table ... its going to be awesome, in my opinion ;) not everyone enjoys my rough hewn stuff ...what a treat to have your visit! stay safe out there!
E.

[Moonie]

Remindes me of the Japanese aesthetic of wabi sabi, which centers around the beauty of imperfection and transience, acknowledging three statements-- nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.
You using the cedar tree to craft this beautiful chair gave it a new life, proving that there is potential and power even in imperfect things to yield something beautiful. The imperfection didnot lessen the beauty of the tree, rather the contrary, as now it's not only a great chair but also a symbol of your skill and potential!
The beauty of the tree is transient, but the chair lives on for much longer. And even after the chair has faded from existence, the poem, and the memory of that poem in all our hearts would live on, so now it's not just reflective of your mettle as a poet, but also of us as readers.
You just didn't give another life to the tree, you gave it 3 new lives, each more beautiful that the previous one, because each new one is imbued with more memories, and has touched more people!

[Einstein Noodle]

oh my goodness Moon's Fairest!!! how you have blessed and humbled me this morning ... what a treat that you found this one first off, and that you connected with it on all those levels... you are so insightful and truly inspire and encourage me ... i was so very and pleasantly surprised to see you had visited ... i see you to little around here these days ;) hope you are staying safe and healthy in our quarantined world .. love your new avatar ... hugs my old friend

[Miss Sharon]

I love this write! My Dad was a carpenter but he was also an "artist" with wood just as you are. Thank you for this special write. ~Sharon

[Einstein Noodle]

thank you Sharon! i am so surprised by all the responses on this one .. from so many who either work with wood or like yourself .. had someone close who did/does ... i love finding the incredible beauty when the bugs, dirt, mold and moss are washed away ... watching as a piece reveals its own beauty and sanding slowly brings it alive ... really glad you found this one my friend .. thank you for reading and sharing from your life and your thoughts :)
E.