i am a sculptor chipping away
at my marble. the way of my
chisel penetrates the stone of
a self-portrait. every stroke is
premeditated murder. i am
donatello’s revealing bronze
david. an innocent and virtuous
youth, fixed on the shivering head
of the philistine. i wear nothing but
my boots and a hat with laurel
leaves. majestically naked. my
silhouette will never hide from a
sunrise or run from the rain. there
are no flaws. there is no evil. the
dust of my labor is abducted by
the wind. scattered in moonlight,
pure and sweet. my independent
fancy spills out from an extraordinary
heart. it cannot be bridled or spirit
torn. i have climbed from a hole a
thousand miles deep. i will crawl
on cobblestone, a pathway to the
gate. beyond where poverty is not
suffering, nor solitude a journey. i
live deliberately without dire need.
desperation is the folly of a doleful
soul. tomorrow is just another day.