David W. Landrum

At the Auto Mechanic's

   Yet the things themselves in thoughtless honor have kept
   composure — Richard Wilbur, “Junk”
 
Here are the grease-soaked, used-up, piled-up things,
cast off — and yet their silent dignity
lies in the testimony good use brings,
with duty done and rest achieved. I see
the diligence of service — miles and miles
of true performance. Finally broken down,
replaced, they lie about, sorted in piles;
their beauty, simple; their plain quiet abounds.

David W. Landrum’s poetry has appeared in numerous journals and magazines, including Voice and Verse, The Barefoot Muse, Blue Unicorn, The Orchards, Measure, and Pulsebeat. He has two collections out: The Impossibility of Epithalamia and Tawney Grammar, both available on Amazon.