Blood & Sweat in the Age of 3D Printing
imperial measurements are beautiful,
archaic nonsense
obscure, obsolete, out of place
in the digital age
with its fractions & fold-out rulers,
conversion charts & longhand notation
it’s the treasure map’s 50 paces
due
east as the crow flies,
the call for eye of newt
in some ancient grimoire
for there is eldritch magic
in
imperial measurements
land surveyance in lost Atlantis
or brick laying in Camelot
passed down master to pupil
halves,
quarters, thirty-seconds
precision marked with a square pencil
not merely an early phase of production
but
a ritual
check the plans
stretch the tape
measure the board
note the length
mark the cut
confirm the span
measure again
& only then do we make the cut
Sean,
ReplyDeleteI liked the title of your poem and felt that it worked well. As usual you have a unique format to your poem that aids in conveying its meaning. You bring poetic ideas into the world of architecture. Overall you did a great job!
If “imperial measurements are beautiful” you’ve put together some beautiful lines to prove it. This is, like your previously shared work, clean and on point. Lines like “it’s the treasure map’s 50 paces” and “not merely an early phase of production” are such great givers of perspective.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I benefit from technology, I'm a pretty big fan of ephemeral paper books and DIY. I loved that you mentioned so many types of ways to build things by hand. Especially good title and strong ending.
ReplyDeleteI love the playfulness of your format. Its funny, I can actually hear you reading this in my head (which is kind of weird?) But overall, I like the concept of this poem! good job
ReplyDeleteReally creative here, and as usual a poignant, light tone. I love the juxtaposition of the title, and how you carry it throughout the whole piece. Well done.
ReplyDelete