Grandfather’s Clocks

Your grandfather crafted
the first for his wife,
followed by one for
each of his four children.

Posted on

Your grandfather crafted

the first for his wife,

followed by one for

each of his four children.

This was after building

a dozen or more

schoolhouse clocks,

clocks that chimed, gonged,

and hung from our walls,

decorative clocks that

rang from our mantels,

becoming mute

when we forgot to

wind them.

 

Perhaps he was

infatuated with time,

Perhaps he had time

that needed to be filled,

Perhaps he was challenged

by the art, needing

to create more

monumental,

heavier timepieces.

 

The works and swinging

pendulums

came from Germany,

the faces were

never the same,

some with many moons

and winking stars, some with

mystical smiling faces,

but the wood was

his alone,

oftentimes oak,

sometimes walnut

or cherry.

 

In his crowded

workshop

amid wood scraps

and sawdust

he cut and fit,

sanded, planed

and polished,

turned and

engineered

each piece until it

fit together

and held in place.

 

Though he is long gone

his grandfather clocks

still hold,

not only the hours,

but the patience of

his days, the skill

of his craft,

and the timeless love

he had for us.

 

 

Written by Debra Orben

Featured Image by Becca James

The views and opinions expressed by Kingdom Winds Collective Members, authors, and contributors are their own and do not represent the views of Kingdom Winds LLC.

About the Author

In tandem with our creative friends at KingdomWindsCollective.com and Catch the Wind comes our special Contributors profile. From this account, you’ll find various friends sharing their unique, knowledgeable, and inspirational voices. Check out posts published under Contributors to read from these special guests!