The Shaker Stool

The stool is a simple thing.
Crafted, not made,
each piece fitting the next
with an inhuman precision.

This is a thing made to be used.
For all its artistry it is no art.
There are cracks in it,
and here and there you can see the repairs,

also crafted.
It is a kind of worship, the making of things.
worship without music or proclamations,
without the dancing of spirits,

of two hands, a good eye,
the ability to see God’s perfection
even when the materials are raw or broken,
patience

to take the time
and do the work.

About this poem

About Shakers, who believed work was a God thing, which explains the otherworldly perfection of the things they made.  Or…

About people, and ministry, the kind we all do, not the kind that comes from pulpits.

As always, reader’s choice.

Tom