Recreation

Recreation

Watching the waves
caused him think
to whittle wood,
the pieces of wood
he had gathered on his walks
along the beach.  From whittling
he turned to carving,
crude replicas at first,
of sea life, otters, a trout.
He attempted a plover.
But the toothpick thin legs defeated him,
which drove him to attempt
more solid appearing things,
a rowing scull and oars,
and, with practice,
the rower himself.

Philip Kuepper
1 June 2014