Dear settler, dear pioneer spirit:
once the log is freed
from the rest of the trunk,
look at the grain, look at
the potentially stubborn
knots. Pick your
spots, set the first
wedge, tap it in lightly
with your sledgehammer
till it’s upright and ready.
Step back.
Raise that hammer high –
your hands sliding apart,
then together, letting the natural
gravity bring it down
onto the hard, mashed-up
flat of the wedge, driving it
into the natural faults of the grain,
tearing it open until that piece falls away.
Reset, repeat
until it’s done,
until it’s all
stacked and waiting
for its time to burn.
Dear settler, dear
pioneer spirit. Dear
all-American sense of destiny
made manifest in brawny moves:
this has nothing to do with the wedge
and everything to do with the fire.
