we passed a whole winter
a spiked iron plate worn
down with wear
a device for grasping and lifting
heavy loads, usually consisting
of a pair of hooks; opposable thumbs
and fingers menacing as claws
boots or shoes aid in climbing
or to prevent sores all over our feet
suspended from a chain or cable,
upward pull of our funny little jobs and needs:
tension for the hooks to grip the load
the act of shunting; shift
bridged across a circuit or a portion of a circuit,
establishing a current path auxiliary to the main circuit,
as a resistor placed across the terminals of (I am)
or increasing the range of the device
(a railroad switch.)
blood or other bodily fluid is diverted
from its normal path; my mind is buzzing
with my own medical misunderstanding
a hardware device is attached without which particulars
will not run: used to prevent us from staring for hours
at a single word; three words annihilate an entire morning
