these years are coarse-grit
rough to the touch, hard on the edge,
peeling and sawing at the metal,
starving away the fullness, reshaping
the bevel, the weight, the heft,
these are the years that profile the blade,
curve the tapering to a point –
blunt, broad, maybe narrow,
too early yet to tell
but we feel the process,
see the flakes pile on the floor,
and wait, I suppose,
for a time for finishing,
a time to finally enjoy a task completed.
Sharpening Years
