gathering

Wild beard reaching forward, sensate,
cubist knuckles on generic handles,
announced by the rasping cough of steel across concrete,
he steps out.
The frame masks him,
his Ned Kelly armour against inquiring minds.
The birds wait by the last tree
where he trades food for thought
until there is no more.

from an image by alicepopkorn via readwritepoem

Gath"er*ing, n.

1.

The act of collecting or bringing together.

2.

That which is gathered, collected, or brought together

A crowd; an assembly; a congregation.

A charitable contribution; a collection.

A tumor or boil suppurated or maturated; an abscess.

© Webster 1913.

Gath"er*ing, a.

Assembling; collecting; used for gathering or concentrating.

Gathering board Bookbinding, a table or board on which signatures are gathered or assembled, to form a book. Knight. -- Gathering coal, a lighted coal left smothered in embers over night, about which kindling wood is gathered in the morning. -- Gathering hoop, a hoop used by coopers to draw together the ends of barrel staves, to allow the hoops to be slipped over them. -- Gathering peat. (a) A piece of peat used as a gathering coal, to preserve a fire. (b) In Scotland, a fiery peat which was sent round by the Borderers as an alarm signal, as the fiery cross was by the Highlanders.

© Webster 1913.