I Just Chipped Away The Stone Poem by Charles Sammons

 
 
Life is a block of marble
cut from the quarry
a millennium to make
ragged and rough
there it sits
right in front of us
ready for the cutting
formed by our ancestors
placed carefully here
the tools are
a wooden hammer
a steel chisel
both made from life's passions
here goes...
the first blow to make this statue
the first breath
see how easily the chips fall
the chisel strikes again
the baby cries
this is easy
I can make anything I want
hold the chisel just so
and tap in
love
humility
smooth in beauty
rub in honor and duty
to make this stone portrait
well rounded and perfect
how will you hold you tools?
what is you masterpiece?
the beauty in the block of marble was always there
I just chipped away the stone