Preparations: Small pot of tea brewed,
a chocolate bar unwrapped.
Coffee comes later.
To the proof pages.
One comma flicked away,
another plugged in.
Homonyms reversed,
subject mated to verb,
phrase reduced to a word,
Merriam-Webster consulted,
prolixity excised.
Pencil both lances and stanches
until the stack is done.
Rising from the desk
for a stetwalk to look
at trees in the distance.
Soon the sluice will open,
texts flowing this way,
to be plucked, one by one,
ordered, scraped, and dispatched
until the edition closes.
Only then the book,
the chair, the strong light,
the drink that closes the day.
