Poem for the Day: The Art of Restoration

The Art of Restoration

               First be a magnificent artist and then you can do whatever, but the art must be
                                                                                    first.      (Francisco de Goya)

I have three man-sheds of Beetle parts

to sell to strangers, or v-dub lovers.

There is a danger that I suspect will happen,

my customers will no longer need: a quarter window,

a vintage ashtray, a 70s lid or Porche wheels,

and I am left with what may befall me

   - a load of junk.

Then something occurs in life, that you

do not expect. A young father buys a mudguard,

takes it home with two front lights.  I pocket

the cash, reaching out to his fingers as if

we have like-minded hands. I had heard it all before,

I lived with one, men who radiate that glow

of restoration, but barely get things done.

How wrong I was, to think that this young

man, as artist,  as influence to his son,

would not finish a project of a Beetle lamp.

So, there it sits in its separateness,

still, upright, neat in a corner window,

balanced on a block, polished, grinded,

painted somehow to look so perfect

in its skin, its dim lighting.

In the darkness of a room, he tells me,

the lamp shines low beam to high, and apart

from its other deft, intrinsic work, I imagine

that sometime late at night, when all is quiet,

it will rattle, growl, twist without inhibition,

purr - just a little - towards the brightness

of an open road.

 

Acknowledgement:  It gives me great pleasure to write this poem (although, only a first draft). However, my congratulations go to Adam Harris, the artist, who has not only restored a Beetle fender into a lamp, but has restored my faith in people who get things done!  He managed this in only a few weeks. Adam is also a prize winner and I wish him well if he enters his work in an award. Hopefully, and quite soon I will post a link to the West Australian Volkswagen Club's newsletter, as we are expecting to read an article about Adam's great piece of work.