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28 April 2021 | NPM | “The Whittler”

April 28, 2021 By Natalia Corres

by Annis Cassells

 Winter nights GrandPap sat
 Snug near the coal stove
 In the home-place dining room
  
 arthritic fingers wrapped around
 a time-worn pocket knife
  
 scored a scantling of well-grained wood
 with knife point markings true
  
 His opening cleave, 
 Unlocked the wood’s walnut breath
  
 Silent shavings lined his lap
 Surrounded his straight-backed chair
  
 ‘Til bedtime, when links entwined
 Created a perfect chain 

Annis Cassells is a longtime member of Writers of Kern. Her poems have appeared in print and online journals. In 2019 Annis published her first poetry collection, You Can’t Have It All. She’s a contributor in the 2020 social justice anthology, ENOUGH “Say Their Names…”

Filed Under: Poetry Tagged With: April National Poetry Month, NPM

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