Part I · Wonder
Wood Carver
you were a block of oak,
sturdy. strong. & beautiful.
grain designed to stand the weight
of years & years,
bearing your shape.
& when you were young,
the carver had an idea
of how you should be shaped.
they removed pieces,
carved your body
to match their idea,
not the curves in the grain.
and soon you were shaped,
a self-portrait of the carver,
because that’s all they had ever known.
but still, their chisel sharp,
cutting & removing
pieces that made them wince,
& made you whole.
and when you had knots,
the carver removed them.
opened you up
let termites in,
& plugged the hole.
so now you sit,
mangled, missing,
& hollow.
feasted on from the inside out.
waiting for
the scraps & sawdust
to be reattached.