Shingles Long & Short
The Widow Wyile scrapes away
at the peeling shingles of her house
a dental hygienist
working on a shedload
of very long teeth
a great many overdue for cleaning
and presenting with caries
caused by weather mold insects
that have deliberately wandered in
to gaps become tenants
insulating with bits of grass
this approach preferrable
to the exercise
of mandibles
in operation sawdust
sprung upon one corner
of newer shingles no less
perhaps caused by dampness
due to rodent deterrent metal cladding
wet wood viewed as invitation
by moisture ants…
Picking away at peeling paint
is absorbing mindful work
if you go there
a focused relief
in a world of maniacal entities
seemingly bent on annihilation
Ant corner is not malicious
doesn’t jeopardize living souls
The work is slow
methodical and repetitive
yet satisfying in its tangibility
scraping picking
large and small bits
flake off
always more
pries loose
on a second or third pass
ahead of
sandpaper buffing
brushing and washing
so much preparation
before the equally laborious
stroking of a deftly hand-
held paint-loaded brush
renews the impermeable glow
of each house side
a constructive act of caring
for the shelter afforded
by once towering cedars
become overlapping shakes
or shingles
some now
become spongy
with weathered age
while still diligently facing
the elements
in cloaks of fading latex colour
Shingle provenance
So many years of growing
So many years of manufacture
construction and maintenance
So many years of living
within these walls
under this roof
days of joy and sorrow
days of work and rest
So much to appreciate
A microcosm of sense
one of zillions
amid an unholy elitist
game
of galactic power-mongers
several shingles short
without reverence love
or capacity for genuine beauty
greater consciousness
and wondrous inter-connections
the rest of us cherish
