Tool Love

You gently turn my wire so neat,

making tight circles, twisting an end are all such a treat.

Round nose pliers you’ve never let me down.

whenever you’re needed, you can always be found.

Now I could go on and on,

choosing my favorite tool – oh boy – this could get long.

Steel wire, so bendable and dark

I put you near the top, my mind you do spark.

Oh, and then there’s the jeweler’s saw, tough and sleek

ready to cut through metal or wood.  Yeah, I’m a saw freak!

That brings me to wood, what a delight!

you do what I ask without any fight.

Wood, you are my versatile friend

that I do everything too, well, except bend.

Without you dear wooden bead, dowel rod or other,

my work would be lost like a child without its mother.

And what about you beads, my real true love.

You call me by name softly from that distribution hub.

You say “Hannah, sweet Hannah, look at me”

“I am so pretty and almost free!”

Heishi, coin, rondelle, glass, wood, horn and seeds

just to name a few, of my bead fetish needs

Beads, as we continue this relationship more,

I know I can count on you, not just in my artwork, but to be on my floor.

This next tool is mostly behind the scenes,

strong and sturdy and not always clean.

Sometimes you’re called adhesive, sometimes glue.

You help me most when wire won’t do.

Ode to paint, what an awesome medium to be,

paint is very special to me; it was almost my college degree.

Watercolors, oils, acrylics and glazes for finishing touches

You help me in just the right spot, at the nick of time, and in tight clutches.

Now where would paint be without that brush?

I can’t forget you either, you relay my perfect touch.

I can so believe how long this is getting. 

I know I could keep writing until my 7 year old’s wedding.

This next task can be a pleasure and my fabric stash I do treasure.

Sewing anything is my rule, by machine by hand, what a must-have tool.

But follow a pattern, no way

dress-maker patterns are for mixed-media, I say.

And as I look downward, I suddenly realize my hands are crucial to my artistic approach.

Just like the other day when I made the “Save the Broken Crayons” brooch.

I can’t forget about my eyes, they find my mistakes, specific colors and spaces I waste

Not to mention, my new artsy glasses I wear on my face.

Well, I must really stop and thank God for my imagination

because I have kept you this long reading my “tool love” creation.

So thank you dear Lord for my creativity and speed

for it only took me 3 hours to write this silly read!

Therefore, use any and all your tools and you will never artistically stray

is what I hope you take away from this artist holiday!

hannah