Alan Humason, 7/16/2018

Current Occupation: Marketing Consultant
Former Occupation: Executive Director (Destination Marketing Organization)
Contact Information: Alan Humason is a writer in Fort Bragg, CA. He has published poetry and short fiction in such periodicals as Flash: The International Short Story Magazine, Third Wednesday, The Longleaf Pine, The Reed, and 100wordstory.com. He has a BA in English Literature from UC Santa Barbara and is a past winner of the Grand Prize Phelan Award for writing from San Jose State University.

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Making Wood As Smooth As Glass

Working by hand
Using different grits
I slowly bring up the grain
Like facts in an investigation.
I prefer hardwoods –
Teak, maple, walnut, oak –
They resist more, yield more
In color, clarity, and sheen.
Looking into the grain as it emerges
I can gradually see its course,
Its variations, speckles, and streaks –
The tree’s true nature revealed,
Or some influence of nature I cannot know –
And depending on the wood
I can guess how hard I have to work.
Sometimes I worry I will go too far
And have nothing left –
The wood will simply vanish in my hands,
A mystery, sawdust.
But sometimes I think I’ve got it right –
A moment of learning, confirmed
By the proper play of light –
And that’s the reason I work at this.
My father knew this
And some day my son.