Restoring Lamps

It is a bit tedious, and slow.
The hardest work is deciding
what stays and what goes,
what parts of this bit of homestead art

have lost their usefulness
and need to be removed
without removing the character, the essence
of it’s beauty,

You have to stand back,
and look. Where is the beauty?
where is the brokenness,
the hopelessly useless barriers to it’s new life.

And it is not just a matter of removing. No.
It must be done just so, leaving just the right room
for the new wires, sockets and other science
that leads to light.

But science is not enough, Essential, perhaps,
but there is art in it, finding new parts that not only work,
but preserve, even enhance the beauty of the creator,
line, color, finish, style, size, proportion.

It is meticulous work,
and your hands are big, a tad clumsy with age,
so it goes slowly. At times you have to do it twice
to reclaim your mistakes. But you persist.

Last of all there is the burnishing,
polishing the old brass, removing generations
of dirt and the sin of abandonment,
bringing the elements together.

No one notices of course.
When they come in, they see none of the work,
the thought, the mistakes, the hours and days
hunched over the workbench. No,

They see the light.
And that is how it should be.

About the poem

One of my hobbies is restoring old things, particularly lamps. It’s slow work and I’ll be honest, I am far from a professional. but there is something wonderful about bringing something abandoned and broken back from it’s yard sale grave, restoring it, and having people who visit the house admire it’s beauty.

It is my theory that beauty, if it was ever there, can almost always be restored, whether it is the beauty of an antique, or the beauty of a soul. Someone just has to care enough to see the beauty, care enough to do the work and persist.

I am grateful for a God who sees that beauty, and for the people around me who see it, and who stick with the likes of me to restore us again, and again. It’s the story of the Bible, and in particular, the story of Easter

Tom

PS – the picture is of my workbench. Taken last night.

PPS – I have written a number of “restoration” poems. I suppose because I feel it’s a theme in my life, and in all of our lives. If such things interest you, then click on the “restoration” category and you will get a list of them to read.

About these Lenten Poems

My friend Cathy Benson is on to something. Instead of doing without for Lent, she is doing MORE with a prayer project that is thoughtful and caring.

Giving up something for Lent is a church tradition, not a biblical command. It was designed to get our minds and hearts right as we approach the holy week and Easter. It’s a good spiritual discipline.

But I think a spiritual discipline of doing something more is also a powerful way to prepare our hearts for Easter. The Methodists, through their “Rethink Church” initiative have come up with a photographic way to do this (see below). I am going to add a poem with each image for the lent season to help prepare myself. Feel free to glom on to the idea, visit the blog and read, or share your thoughts and prayers.