size seven straight needles

a lesson learned

I once had
size seven straight needles
in wood,

a red wood
polished in square columns
that worked yarn well.

I’ve since learned:
Don’t leave knitting
on the floor—

one careless foot—
SNAP!
needle lies in pieces.

I thought: glue
but splintered ends
catch at the yarn—

that could not be.
minute imperfections make
a needle deficient,

and erode
a yarn’s worth
with snags.

so the project moved,
to size seven straights
in black—

which the shop
swore were shatterproof.
and I almost believed.

line count: 27

Prompt for: Jan 11, 2016 ▶︎

Subject or Theme: Broken: someone or something being broken.

Word(s) to Include: glue, erode, deficient (or any derivatives of these words)
Forbidden Word(s): broken, leg, arm, wrist, toy, doll, heart (or any derivatives, compound or hyphenations of these words)
Additional Parameters: At least 24 lines- 8 three line stanzas. NO more than 4 words per line, non-rhyming. Remember, do not use forbidden words ANYWHERE, including title or the brief description.