coming into myself

like an icicle

freezing into form

once fluid

and dripping along itself

now believing

what others think of me

and agreeing

to go in this direction

settling into the mold

like sculpture clay

hardening in the oven

formed by the artist’s

left nurturing hand

and right natural hand

then set into stone

by the fires of time

now staying the same

as what others walk by

in the museum and say

reading the placard

and seeing other

statues nearby

this is a statue

of such time and place

you can see clearly

because of this and that