Judging by lensed eye,
six times as long as wide.
Pale sand in colour, marbled
with light brown groove of burnt egg.
Knots of grey as used fat
coagulating to gristle in frying pan.
Unknown wood type,
if only from ignorance of origin species.
A centimetre or so in depth.
Reasonably smooth edges
allowing for a uniform rectangle.
Some frayed jaggedness at one end.
Possible slight crack or indent at bottom.
Left side favouring straight line pattern,
while two clear ring patterns, elongated ovals,
lie one after the other on right side.
Apparent divisional line cuts through plank,
off-centre, as if to mark this separation.
Currently studying object from distance of six feet.
More detail would require closer inspection.
Colin Dardis is the author of ten poetry collections, most recently with the lakes (above/ground press, 2023) and What We Look Like in the Future (Red Wolf Editions, 2023). A neurodivergent poet, editor and sound artist, his work has been published widely throughout Ireland, the UK and USA.
More work by Colin Dardis
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