Then there are those days when I can sit and watch people working,
building … fascinating to watch each floor added, the joists, rafters,
being lifted into place …
CONSTRUCTION SITE
bucket filled with gravel
gripped by high mechanism 
wheels spin on oiled pistons
grind past drilled studs
where roof truss stretches
from edifice to anchored wall
framed by clerestory
scaffolding braced against wind
where men pinned to height
raise rough casements
forked hammers belt-hung
heat nailed in place
adz awl home forgotten
bevel hand clamped for use
this building framed
in measured hours
To Bethlehem: ‘This little book is delightful, full of … poems on this timeless subject. … the most fun is the little prose vignettes of the common people in the Christ-child story. The slave who looks after the wise men’s camels, or the overworked maid at the inn who has to fetch water for the birth, and many more. A lovely gift for the reader on your Christmas list!’ Rosalind Adams. Available from Amazon and Kindle.
1960willowtree 