There was a time of old when the tinker, a silversmith of sorts, travelled by buggy or cart from village to village fixing pots and pans. Not all were silver either, maybe they were pewter or cast iron or copper, or inexpensive pot metal, whatever that served the cooking needs of the many on his route. As needs grew, and early technologies evolved, maybe he also learned to rewrap and repair wicker chairs, carry extra thatch for roofs of homes, reworked and repaired leather straps for animal collars, belts and harnesses. Maybe he also sang familiar ballads on the trail to his burro or his eager, energetic pony. Maybe he also carried local news from outside the village. And so perhaps, the Tinker or Handyman became an evolutionary creature.

Tinker’s World Tour

Today he travels on workdays
6 days a week,
in a 25-mile radius
from his home,
it’s his World Tour,
that’s big enough for him
Debts from former worlds
chew at his bones.
He has 300+ names,
customers, friends, and family
on his smart phone
Sled dog trails forever forged
in the back of his mind,
and sweaty harness memories
always across his shoulders.
In former lifetimes,
they sent him to Boston,
New York, San Francisco,
Texas, and White Sands, New Mexico.
But that was then,
he crossed those bridges
and then waded or walked successfully
back to Benicia.
Now when he goes on World Tour
he sees only parts of three counties:
Solano, Contra Costa, and
Alameda. That’s enough and
sometimes even more than enough.
But if he wants to go further,
he heads to an Open Mic,
whispers something into a microphone
or uploads it to his Facebook page
and the digital winds carry it away.

From the Series: Tinker

1. The tinker rides in ever-widening circles
on his burro until a county line is reached
and he looks for a meal, dry clothes,
and a campfire for the night.
He builds a lean-to of leftover wood scraps
and beds down for the evening.
His dog, Danger, part wolf and Border Collie
tends the fire, plays cards, and co-miserates
with him in the morning.

2. He’s got a newsletter, a blog,
and a column in the local paper.
He’s got something to say.

3. Handtools, The Campanile,
design, and chapbooks:
like playmates and penpals.

4. Old scars like tree rings accumulate.
Healing is like no other.
Danger looks up from his card game
and smiles, his limp is getting better.

5. A dog named Danger can be a metaphor for just about anything:
loyalty, companionship, trustworthiness, benevolent co-traveler —
A Band-Aid box full of everything
necessary you forgot to pack
but it’s always there, like humor
if everything else fails.

Tinker’s Dams & News

Rain’s on the horizon,
rain’s in the News,
Drought’s on the run,
Rainman’s got the blues.

Landslides and floods,
how much do we need?
Still got our Homeless
and plenty to feed.

Trump’s on the airways,
Trump’s on the Tweets,
Trump’s got his Cabinet candidates,
while 600 Women’s Marches
are all on the streets.
I know who I’m counting on,
I know where my faith is placed –
Tinker’s got his Dams and
they’re all over the place!

Peter Bray works, lives and writes in Benicia
and has written this column since 2008.

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