A Craft Companion (A Poem)

By Joyce Jacobo

[Author’s Note: Learning about the violin and all the artisanship that goes into constructing such an instrument has also served as a reminder of writing as a craft, and the way our crafts–in general–develop alongside us.]

Another year has come and gone

      with the two of us in company—

                                    My Writing

Like fond companions born

                                  attached by an ethereal thread                                                                                                           

           that we unconsciously followed

                                     until we found each other

You have changed as much as I have

                     over the years            

            where we have enjoyed many happy moments

                         and numerous conflicts

                                                        or misunderstandings

                                    …but always we came back together

I sometimes wonder if it is normal

               to personify crafts as if they were familiars

           yet I have seen fellow artists grow and change

                                 alongside their works—

                                         parts of each other

                                                 constantly defined

                                                              and redefined

   Like a testament to the ways

             in which the world influences us

                             as we influence the world

Our craft companions

               meant to follow us

                                   throughout our lives