The Stone Cutter
by Egmont van Dyck
The years of cutting Roman letters into the marble or granite stone
has taken its toll on the artist’s hands,
Reshaping his fingers that hold the chisel with a firm grip,
while a hammer guides with precision the chisels mark with each beat
And gives the words of a poet a voice that will outlast the lives
of the poet or that of the stone cutter.
As the great slab of stone rests upon the grave
for long as time shall permit,
And bears witness to changing colors of the seasons and the years,
only to wait for a stranger to pass and read the name and words;
Giving existence to a nameless artist who gave his life,
so that the dead would not be forgotten.
Photo: Old Pioneer Cemetery, St Helena, California
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