The Pocket Knife

whittled and shaved to a more pointed view

My grandad whittled

his way through stories:

the stiff birch of my imagination

pared by the pocketknife

I asked, “Where have they all gone?

Do you miss them now?”

He answered, “Not so much, I remember

every one...”

Then he laughed, tugged my ear,

and pointed to the shavings.

Ken e Bujold

© 2022

Reviews

[JD Major]

Thanks for this remembrance of my Grandpa,
also a whittler, he left me his cherished pocketknife

[Ken e Bujold]

glad to have seeded a memory JD, and am sure you cherish that knife as if it was Arthur's own sword

[John the Baptist]

The shavings represented his memories. Each time he told a story he recalled those who were its subjects. Interesting mnemonic device. I wonder if a similar device could be devised to dispose of those things that we would rather forget. A compostable garbage bag might suffice.

[Ken e Bujold]

doubt it john, though I am well aware of many men (and Women) who are hard at work on developing an app for just such a condition

ken

[jacob erin-cilberto]

the shavings, the lost loved ones...
missing is a word...if those we loved are still in our hearts...they are always with us.
j.

[Ken e Bujold]

indeed they are J

[Laz K.]

"the stiff birch of my imagination" this is a captivating metaphor.
the whole poem is very visual and "well-carved."
being attached to the transient form of anything can cause grief indeed, whereas recognizing that everything undergoes transformation is a sign of wisdom.
very enjoyable and meaningful poem.

[Ken e Bujold]

thanks for the thoughtful review Laz. Yes, life is full of transformative stories, we only need to look listen and digest them

[Fabian G. Franklin]

I enjoyed this. There is a song by Texas poet and songwriter Guy Clark titled "The Randall Knife". Your poem reminded me of it. Give it a listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY5MOUO464Q

[Ken e Bujold]

know the song well, Clark is one of my fav songwriters

[Fabian G. Franklin]

We have something in common there. I'm a fan of quite a few Texas musicians. And there was a music scene which brought a lot of them together along with some "outsiders" but among the group I'm thinking of are Rodney Crowell, Steve Earl, Guy Clark and Townes Van Zant. A lot of talent there.

[Ken e Bujold]

Texas is deeper in songwriters than it is in oil.
To your list I would add, Bob Wills, Buddy Holly, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Lefty Frizzell, Nanci Griffith, Joe Ely, Buck Owens, Lyle Lovett, T Bone and the Lightening...and the list could go on and on forever

[Fabian G. Franklin]

Love them all.

[W. Barrett Munn]

Yes, it's still wood but in a different form after we're through telling them. Nice work, Ken.

Winston

[Ken e Bujold]

thanks W, simple but effective, I was quite happy with how it shaved itself

[Fran Marie]

stories in the shavings
memories in the tales
of bygone days so nicely
expressed within the lines
of this well crafted piece

Nice work

[Ken e Bujold]

thanks for stopping by Fran, glad you enjoyed

[Gee]

What a sweet piece Ken.Can see you sitting at his feet as he regaled you with tales of what went before.
As a carpenter nice to see "whittled" used :))

[Ken e Bujold]

my happiest early childhood memories where of him (my father's father) whittling through a lazy day, telling stories, some true, some a little embellished, but always with an eye on instilling in me a love for storytelling