Today’s prompt: “write poems that provide the reader with instructions on how to do something” (http://www.napowrimo.net/it-begins-2/)
Practice Makes Perfect
“Measure twice, cut once”
He always said.
More like – measure a bazillion times
Cut once, mess it up, do it all again.
I always was all thumbs.
“Follow the grain”
He always said.
But the grain is road map
with no key, mapping a countryside
I can’t understand.
I never could get the hang of it.
“Don’t overwork the wood”
He always said.
As I tighten yet another screw
Until the wood splits.
There’s a point at which strength and gentleness converge.
It’s here that master craftsman show their mastery.
It’s a point I’ve never been able to divine.
“It’s OK if you mess up.
Just try it again.”
He always said.
So I try again, and again,
Fail, and try to fail better,
But really I just keep failing.
“Practice makes perfect”
He always said.
So I keep practicing
And I keep waiting for perfection.
John the Librarian 