Poems from my Merriam-Webster Word of the Day project. For more information, look here.
factotum : a person having many diverse activities or responsibilities
I manage. I fix.
I hold the world in the sky.
I keep it spinning
safe and steady. Factotum.
I make things work. You’re welcome.
tanka 406 : 3/10/23
rectify : to set right : REMEDY
Lay out the pattern.
The cloth waits. Appraise your work.
Rectify errors.
The scissors always cut true
but it’s you who must guide them.
tanka 399 : 2/22/23
compadre : a close friend : BUDDY
Workbench compadres
hammer saw screwdriver wrench
know that they’re the pros
Not me. Bruise thumb nick knuckles
They make their point. Then we work.
tanka 367 : 12/12/22
Attributions:
“Factotum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/factotum. Accessed 10 Mar. 2023.
“Rectify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rectify. Accessed 22 Feb. 2023.
“Compadre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compadre. Accessed 12 Dec. 2022.
Claudia McGill Writes Poetry, Did You Know That? 
All three poems are great. The first one made me think of it as a monologue by the Titan Atlas. The second one made me think about how easy skillful people make an activity look and the satisfaction I get from watching someone do something create expertly even if I have zero aptitude or knowledge with what they are doing. Related to that, the third one was a nice spin on the adage about bad workmen blaming their tools.
Thank you. The theme of making things and the work in doing them is something I think has infinite possible ways to be depicted and I never get tired of the subject.