Weightless As Shavings Poem by Sandra Fowler

Weightless As Shavings

Rating: 4.7


The old man's hands had spared severity.
Time fell weightless as shavings on his knee.
He carved a little bird out of stove wood,
Fit it for story books as best he could.

Imagination made that sparrow soar,
Though vision from his neighborhood was poor,
He saw it paint its picture on a cloud
And clapped his hands to see a thing so proud.

He knew old bones would never make the air
Yet by his proxy he was always there,
Imperfect but certifiably,
All that a stove wood bird was meant to be.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
John Tiong Chunghoo 05 January 2006

hope comes alive with work. good work sandra. thanks or dropping by my house.

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Will Barber 05 May 2006

Yours poems only improve when I reread them. This is - well, just wonderful and original.

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R H 16 June 2006

You have encapsulated the power of the imagination and the pleasure of the simple things in life so beautifully Sandra.

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Nimal Dunuhinga 31 October 2006

I see a simple soul lingers in the weightless sky as a shaving and forgets the mischievous time.

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Patrick Ladbrooke 16 November 2006

Wonderful picture and sentiment. It says to me that we all have our dreams, and something is able to take us there, whether it be carving, painting or poetry. Patrick

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Cindy Kreiner Sera 12 May 2009

I did not only visualize the scene but sat alongside the old man, felt his joy - saw the bird fly as did he...beautifully written

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Greenwolfe 1962 27 February 2008

My friend L&T said it best, as she always does. Beauty is something a poet must create in order to qualify. This poem is pure in it's Beauty. GW62

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Leonard Daranjo 05 August 2007

A truth of life so beautifully and gently potrayed. Take care

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Elysabeth Faslund 19 July 2007

time fell weightless as shavings on his knee....WHAT an astute image! You have done many things with this poem, Sandra. He may not be able to fly as a bird, but his heart has, and always will. I was sitting with this man, watching him carving that little bird. You put me in the chair next to him. Great going! ! ! xxElysabeth

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Mary Naylor 18 February 2007

Through you I was not only able to see the old man in his world, but I felt I was able to reach out and touch his soul. The relationship between the carved wooden bird and the old man, was heart melting.

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Sandra Fowler

Sandra Fowler

W. Columbia, WV, USA
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