The Pleasure of the Right Tools
Roasting peppers on the grill, I inhale
the odors of freshly sawed lumber
and turned earth. My back and knees
recall the doing, as I rejoice in the memory
of the new maul pounding rebar through
the timber’s holes into the ground.
I place the blackened peppers into a
paper wine bag where they’ll steam.
The saw rests on its shelf next to the
drill. The beer tastes bitter. Perfect.
“The Pleasure of the Right Tools” first appeared in Winnow Magazine in July 2020. I am grateful to Rachael Crosbie, Tristan Cody and friends for taking this poem.
O at the Edges 
A very satisfying poem!
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There’s nothing quite so satisfying as having the right tools for the job!
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I had a nice sensation reading this today. From your recordings here and the one Zoom reading of yours I attended I could quite exactly hear your voice reading it in my mind. Perhaps the diction and cadence of this one is somehow the echt Okaji from my experience. Whatever, it was pleasant.
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No greater compliment could exist! I’m so pleased it worked for you.
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