S. J. Holloway
The Liquidity of Glass
Try to stitch a window back together
when a plate has gone through it.
Heat up your needle until it is hot enough
to melt the glass on impact,
don't let the pane solidify around it.
Thread tungsten filament;
the only substance strong enough, when wire,
to do the job successfully.
Angle each attack with care,
across and up, eighteen degrees.
Keep the room at room temperature, always.
If the day is hot, keep out the heat,
if cold, make sure you insulate the frame.
Remove all fragments of crockery
from the affected area.
Get a friend to hold the last piece in place
while you sew it up from the outside.
Cotton can be used as a guide
for the final stretch,
but keep your needle on the heat.
You may want to practice in advance:
Break a sheet from the glaziers
and sew it up on the kitchen floor,
or avoid the plate temptation,
learn the liquidity of glass.
when a plate has gone through it.
Heat up your needle until it is hot enough
to melt the glass on impact,
don't let the pane solidify around it.
Thread tungsten filament;
the only substance strong enough, when wire,
to do the job successfully.
Angle each attack with care,
across and up, eighteen degrees.
Keep the room at room temperature, always.
If the day is hot, keep out the heat,
if cold, make sure you insulate the frame.
Remove all fragments of crockery
from the affected area.
Get a friend to hold the last piece in place
while you sew it up from the outside.
Cotton can be used as a guide
for the final stretch,
but keep your needle on the heat.
You may want to practice in advance:
Break a sheet from the glaziers
and sew it up on the kitchen floor,
or avoid the plate temptation,
learn the liquidity of glass.
S.J. Holloway presently lives in North Wales. Poems in many magazines, including The Rialto and a feature in Envoi, and the occasional competition prize.
Page(s) 56
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