TAKE THIS MAN.(Poem)

 
   Take this man who holds 
   a shoe against the needle 
   flying in and out, in and out. 
   Notice how casually he turns the sole, 
   how little effort he seems to expend. 
   The McKay stitcher does it all. 
   But look again. See how he doesn't 
   smile, how his hair is damp, 
   how his hand quivers 
   as he places the shoes 
   on the finishing rack. 
   He's an old hand at Davenport and Alcock's. 
   One of the few journeymen who can make 
   a shoe from scratch: handle a pegging awl, 
   work with a mouth full of tacks, 
   trim a welt, shave a heel and blacken 
   the upper until his teeth gleam in its sheen. 
   Wellington, Napoleon, Garibaldi--you name 
   a general and he's made their boot. 
   Ten, ...