Dutch Masters
December 02, 2007 06:41 AM
Work
They apprenticed
once, to learn the tricks of their trade
from men who’s wisdom didn’t show, of whom they were afraid.
Their work was nothing special, leaning heavily upon routine.
They, too, swept the floors and kept the workshop clean.
from men who’s wisdom didn’t show, of whom they were afraid.
Their work was nothing special, leaning heavily upon routine.
They, too, swept the floors and kept the workshop clean.
The mindless
hours melted, layering same upon more same,
and
the point they gained their mastery came subtly, without a
name.
And
then you came apprenticed to this unlikely trade,
and
you, like them before you, strove to make the grade.
And you, like
them, were baffled to learn that what you’d
done—
which seemed no
more than trivial work—proved adequate to run.
Those who hold
the secret, dare not share it straight—
that
years of mindless innocence define the master’s
fate.
And so another
innocent arrives indentured here,
and
you, unlikely as it seems, will teach what no one
hears.
You’ll
speak in muttered orders to focus all they do,
attending to
daily details ‘till their mastery comes through.
12/02/07
Epe,
The Netherlands
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