"THE CHIPS ARE DOWN"

“THE CHIPS ARE DOWN”

Why, Oh why, didn’t I build my own coffin?

Now that the chips are down

Then I wouldn't have a splinter in my bum

With me unable to protest in sound

My lifes' jigsaw is dovetailed away

And it’s my turn now to walk the plank

But my coffin maker also made the boat

And fortunately for me, it sank

Ashes to ashes, sawdust to sawdust

My preservative has whittled away

Farewell to the woods, farewell to the trees

A master craftsman now lies at ease

Michael Ashby

Funeral poem for a woodworker, carpenter, cabinetmaker & joiner