North Bay Letterpress Shop
letterpress - the shop
concrete floor
insulated ceiling
maybe 2000 sq. ft.
old walnut letterpress
cabinets their shallow
drawers of type
dead-heavy drawers
so many tools
pica rulers, composing
sticks, type-high gauge,
0.918”
solvents for this and that
one must learn which
on the walls
projects printed here
venerable presses,
five or six or seven
well-cared for
yet once set down,
remain where they are
orderly, this place
shop has its own map
Ah yes, reminds me of my fountain pen collection. There are times when I feel like that old walnut letterpress cabinet! The poem recalls the necessity of knowing one has her own map, amen!
Ah, takes you back to…