Jan FitzGerald’s poems have been widely published in leading New Zealand and overseas literary journals, and she is also a prize-winning short story writer. Her poetry collection Flying Against the Arrow was published in 2005. This, her second book, is alive with wit, fresh imagery and frank delight.
The Woodwork Teacher
It was a shock to turn the corner and see you like that —
wheelchaired, rug on lap, nurse pushing behind,
a grainy, little man,
though no surprise to see, in the scoop of tartan blanket,
pinecones, eucalyptus bark, an assortment of leaves —
and you, the man who knew every native tree,
ringbarked from the inside out, by a sly canker
not yet spread to the limbs,
propping yourself up, birdlike,
pointing out the woodwork room
where you taught twenty-five years …
How did it feel, Dad,
holding the last piece in time’s marquetry,
watching the shavings curl out
from under the plane?
Were you coming home to Mum, again,
the smell of warm sawdust
in the weave of your jacket, carpenter’s pencil
tucked behind the ear?
Did you see her reach into the cabinet
for your favourite glass, the cupboards of inlaid rimu
opening on their turned handles?
Did you see me scampering down the apple tree
for the offcuts you brought home for my doll’s house?
You’ll probably tell the mahogany box maker
he needs a little more linseed on the lid …
Nothing would surprise me, coach,
nothing ever did with you
except seeing you, Dad, like this, today.
Book published by Steele Roberts.
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