The Artist

by Kadee Shepherd
(Kentucky)

Light glints from the steel blade
Eyes stare intently at the work at hand
Deftly carving and cutting
The blade obeys the master's commands
First are the lips, where smiles should reside
Then the tongue, from which only truths should come
Moving lower on the work, the heart
Where happiness and joy should be
Moving quickly, the blade almost dancing with glee
The blade hastens
Upward it now travels, to the final completion
The eyes, from which the soul is exposed.
Only the mirror can now see the final product
The nothing that is left in the reflection
The nothing that was there all along.