My Blacksmith Shop

When you walk into a blacksmith shop the first sense alerted is smell. Iron and steel smell like earth and fire rolled together. The acrid smell of cold cut steel is blended with the sweet smell of red hot iron.  2200 degrees is hot. Most everyday things in its way will burst into flames. Refractory clay strains to keep its composure. The steel  that was used to make the forges and tooling expands and contracts with relentless repetition day after day making the air sharp with the tension. As with many harsh environments, there is great  unexpected beauty in a blacksmith shop. There is an inherent grace in the act of blacksmithing and the beauty created when the metal moves. When heated, this rigid material softens and opens itself up to be moved. When it is cold it becomes steel, frozen, unbreakable and impenetrable, yet it still portrays the energy and power that was used to change it.