Gary from Essex is a Scaffolder

By Mary Williams

Talks about
the longitudinal sway-brace.
‘That's the puncheon,’ he tells us, pointing.
Ties reveal
a non-moveable double-lip bolted supplementary coupler,
and a fixed finial coupler.
We are amazed.

Talking of couplers, he says,
his wife has gone away,
leaving him alone,
to deal with the adjustable fork-head,
expanding spigot,
and the tension pin.

He has a certificate of testing erection procedures.
No-one can match him, especially not them.
He can deal with outriggers, shingling;
uses a hatchet tool on
putlogs and wedges.

He shows me
the dead weight of the Kent ledge,
with its spigot pin;
the butting transom,
-needle and sway-
that links to the swivel finial coupler.

But when he knocks off over tea, he shows us the reveal tube,

and is sad it came to this.

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Written Word ‘Hand’ poems