---------------------

It's downright nice to see you aproned
As carpenter rather than Madonna,
A sixteen-foot six-by-eight preceding
And following you with the waggle
One would expect of other beckonings. 
You don't shudder under the weight,
Which means it must be cedar, old cedar,
The kind that's been immersed for forty years
In the not-quite-salt of tears we decided to
Save for christening rather than shedding.
I've been out looking for a rooftree this rangy
Sunlit afternoon, well back on ridges where
The sea loses almost everything between
Coloratura and basso; I have the melody stuck
Between my ears and am glad to report
It will be playing at the housewarming.