~ Twenty-Three Years Ago ~

- Carpenter's Lament -

"Bow your necks!", cried the Lead Man,

"Just ignore all this heat!"

So we doffed our warm duds

And gathered some studs

And attempted the deadline to meet.

The reflection was awesome

From the sheathing below.

As the day wore on longer

The men got less stronger

And shrunk from the radiant glow.

John and Roy found the cool spot

By a tree reading blueprints

While the sheathing crew toiled

And their trousers they soiled,

Laying subfloor and leaving no glue prints.

There was 'Log Cabin' Randy,

Woody, Chris, me and Dave

And the laborer, Randy,

Who I tell you is handy.

In the sun we were valiant and brave.

Blazing heat will not stop us,

nor will rain, nor will cold.

We're outdoorsmen at heart,

And our work is an art,

Peoples homes with our hands we will mold.

At the end of the workday

All our strength is behind us.

Framing thus uncompleted,

Our resources depleted,

The tavern is where one might find us.

S.P.Bohnstedt

Spring, 1986