Hathi Room

Using my late pass on Day 11. The prompt was to write a poem about an object or a place and end it in a surprising or abstract/philosophical way.

 

Adjacent the curb,

 

A wood plank, machine carved to resemble the cousin of a surfboard

Composed of airy yellow, imported bamboo strips

Each strip covered with a warm translucent gloss, accentuating the natural grain

Broad matte black streaks atop the gloss layer form a distinct “F”

Around the edges, the bamboo splinters out of chipped gloss,

But it’s purely cosmetic, a testament to its vitality

 

A foot from the tip and mirrored at the bottom,

are four bolts connecting a plate to the grain

Industrial strength iron ascends up from the base plate,

and branches out creating an inverted “T” shape

 

On the edges of the “T” are two maroon, rubberized cylindrical wheels

They are lined with a film of speckled brown dust

Gray bearing oil is splotched across the Quest logo

 

Portions of the rough, sanded grip tape are visible above the shadow

The left wheel continues to spin with a nearly inaudible hum

 

Outsourced manufacturing results in outsourced jobs.