Your Face Value Poem by Leonard Dabydeen

when you place a mallet
in my right hand,
and a chisel in my left,
all I need is a block of wood
to show you
what is your face value –
even if you turn sideways.


and as life goes on
I continue to chip away
at this block of wood;
layer by layer
the contour in my mind
goes with the grains,
or sometimes runs cross-ways;
knots are more difficult to chip.

and as life goes on
I know it will be a matter of time,
when the virtual becomes real.
I will be somewhere
either inside or outside,
to show you
what is your face value -
and you will no longer
be able to turn sideways.