My Indomitable Duct Tape

A free form poem on the theme of invention --for Slam

Tired of searching for strength
in all the wrong places,
I improvised, with slips and slides,
a contraption restructured from an old roll,
a most versatile tool --the duct tape--
just like a person,
sticky,
with two sides, light and dark.

At first, not taking the heat well
and leaving everything gooey,
it worked its way up to
permanently sealing gaps, holes, or cracks.

Then, all of a sudden,
dabbed with new glue
and multicolors on the outside,
it encircled me, brimming with life,
binding, strengthening
my body and, strangely, it reinforced
my poise, discipline,
even my dreams.

When I offered it as a gift,
friends said it emphasized hugs
bettered attitudes,
and forged people together
like iron,
grasping their essence and qualities.

With its determined embrace,
my duct tape reveals
an invincible permanence,
a healing,
in the wilderness of moans and groans.

I sense, someday,
akin to a magician with his last secret,
my duct tape will mend and protect
delicate hearts
and bind the universe together
inside a friendly radiance.