I love steel. It is sleek, smooth, sexy, strong
It grounds me to the present.
It connects me to the past.

I pound and squish
I heat and bend

It is our history, the foundation of our society
It gives us structure and stability
We walk on it, and take shelter erected by it

Zapping and sizzling
Cutting and grinding

It is devastating and destructive.
With the mass and force to raze a building
Tearing, churning up the ground.

The hammer strikes
Drops of metal and sweat fall

My last connection to my grandfather
Sharing his memories working at US steel.
Walking around grabbing, shaking, sizing up my work.

I heat and bend
I pound and squish

My work is powerful
With every strike, every blow, I am questioning and remembering
I keep hammering, I keep striking