Mortise is the compliment
to tenon.  The two form one
of the oldest ways to join wood.

We used to call the mortise
the female part.
How uncouth we carpenters.

Is it acceptable to say,
this day in age, that 
when the tenon’s fit is tight

inside the mortise cheeks,
glue squirts recklessly
as the joint is hammered
home?

A union of tree fibers
fused seamlessly,
and strong.