Implies care, and time, and certain humanity.
Implies a hand to hold and form,
to shape the shape, and craft from raw rough stuff
a beauty that had lain unseen.
The potter, painter, gunsmith, glass blower,
together will tell you that the beauty was always
near, like the sculpture waiting in the stone,
or humanity captured in a gentle brush stroke.
Should you meet such a maker, take note:
Their hands: long fingered, warmed by
age or activity, and when they take your hand
into their own, they handle both with care.
This courageous touch is important, as is
a kind of gentleness that does not always feel so.
Born of careful handling and attention closely paid
to detail and material, time and interplay.
In such ways do masters piece together patterns,
Drawing hope from darkness,
and beauty into the light.
I wrote this one both as a tribute to all the incredible artists and craftspeople who create with their hands, but also specifically for one recently lost. Jeff Young was a multi-talented artist who worked with paint, ceramics, glass, and yes, even made a few beautifully crafted black powder rifles. He was kind and generous with his time and knowledge, and he will be sorely missed.
Photo by Elio Santos on Unsplash