Grape Crushing

My bachelor uncle
makes his own wine:
Goes down to the docks
in the early morning damp
to pick the right grapes,
Zinfandel, Carignan, Grenache.
My cousins turn the crank
as we sacrifice grapes
to the wine press,
raking our fingers across the grates until they are sticky and
painted black
with the skins of fallen fruit.
Children dance
in a vat of juices
that they will drink
someday-
at their own wedding,
perhaps,
or their first child's baptism,
or on a
Tuesday.