  We revisit the implementation of the metric-independent Fock-Schwinger gauge
in the abelian Chern-Simons field theory defined in ${\mathbb{R}}^3$ by means
of a homotopy condition. This leads to the lagrangian $F \wedge hF$ in terms of
curvatures $F$ and of the Poincar\'e homotopy operator $h$. The corresponding
field theory provides the same link invariants as the abelian Chern-Simons
theory. Incidentally the part of the gauge field propagator which yields the
link invariants of the Chern-Simons theory in the Fock-Schwinger gauge is
recovered without any computation.
