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Writer's pictureJosie L James

Chiseled

So much has been broken away,

So much cutting has been done

The demise of who I am has already begun

Watching chunks of me fall onto the floor

Shattering as they hit, aching where I tore

I desperately want it to be stopped

Your consistent carving, the hammer that you dropped

Chipping me away piece by piece

Like a giant slab of marble,

Forming something new, something to marvel

Feeling distorted, Chiseled bit by bit.

No longer willing to take another hit

A strength inside resonating,

A defense building within

Unaware of what you were accomplishing

Each divot and crumble, a part of me demolishing

I thought I was ruined, forever changed in a negative way

With nothing left for you to gouge away.

But I began to strengthen with every jab, with each poke

Against all the fury you tried to provoke

I had to strategize to rebuke such a giant

Turning my fear into a skill I could be reliant

While instead of remaining muted, I began to talk.

You thought you were removing pieces of me, block by block Slowly whittling me down with the tools you were holding

But in the process a different shape was molding

Until in a window I saw my own reflection

My thoughts suddenly taking a different direction.

Looking inward instead of looking out.

Seeing what my true power was about.

I no longer had to believe your lies,

A rigid warrior let out of disguise.

Firmly here, still standing, like the boulder that I am.

Astonished at what I saw

Not defenseless but a victor to your claw

Refusing to feed the negative bait

Instinctively knowing its my time to escape

A prison I had built myself into

Shackles I now wish to break though.

No longer worried of all that has broken away,

I chose to focus on all that remained.

Seeing the sculpture instead of the stain

Morphing a mastery out of the pain

The sturdiness that existed inside

Standing tall and polished, Refusing to hide.

For the shame in me has vanished.

Despite your harsh words or skilled hand.

For what I am at my core you could never brand

Being the rock that I am

Solid and resilient as stone.

Relishing my new silhouette

In the piece of art I have become

Displayed for now all to see

Seeing the shards have been shedded, not lost upon inspection

A masterpiece you helped bring into creation.

My thoughts impenetrable, impossible for you to break through

Filing down my nicks, my cuts, my sharp edges, exposing a new view

Birthing a change of heart

Turning these constructed defects into art.

I now stand here, a perfectly chiseled statue

Exposed by your hand, exposed because of you




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5 Comments


Josie L James
Josie L James
Feb 12, 2021

@ scottpaula - It is the Statue of David. Breathtakingly beautiful. 😊

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NaN2021
NaN2021
Feb 12, 2021

I see it is micheal Angelo.. beautiful

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NaN2021
NaN2021
Feb 12, 2021

Jojo what statue is this?

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Josie L James
Josie L James
Feb 07, 2021

Thank you so much Lisa! Xoxo

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Lisa Dymond
Lisa Dymond
Feb 06, 2021

Jojo, I felt poetry & precision in this piece. Such a developing understanding of this character over time. Love sharing this space as witness.

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