{Straight From the Heart}   *The Miracle of Love*  1/3/00
                                                                                                                        

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The following poem by Viki Florkowski, "The Sculptor" was run back in 
October, and Viki has written a sequel to it.  Here is the poem as 
it originally appeared, with the new addition following it!
Enjoy!

Michael Dear,

It's interesting that you should post The Stone Cutter.  I enjoyed 
it very much.  I wrote a piece about a friend of mine who has had 
a very big influence on my life (must be an angel sent from heaven).  
Anyway, the title of my poem is The Sculptor.  Hope you enjoy.
Love and peace,
Viki


The Sculptor

It stands before him, a cold and lifeless mass of stone.
As he slowly circles his work, he considers it from every angle,
The strengths, the weaknesses, the raw beauty, the flaws.
As he contemplates what is before him,
His mind has already fashioned it.
The trace of a smile touches his face,
And his eyes reveal only a twinkle,
The vision of what is yet to be.

His hands are strong and steady,
Seasoned with knowledge and patience
And love of creativity.
As he begins with the hammer and chisel,
Slowly the stone begins to fall away.
Night after night, never in a hurry,
His experienced hands shape the stone.
The jagged edges are chipped away,
The flaws are delicately chiseled.

As the stone takes shape, his love for his work,
And the desire to see its completion consumes him.
Night after night, tirelessly and alone
He works with only the gifts he has been given.
He polishes to perfection this lifeless mass of stone
And finally puts down his tools in exhaustion.

As the veil is lifted, no words are needed;
For in the beauty of his sculpture, his skill is evident.
And in his humble smile
The reality of his vision has already spoken.


The Miracle of Love

But as the sculptor gazed upon his work,
He sighed to think that beauty like this
Should overflow with life and breath;
His hands created the image,
But it is the Creator who brings life;
In his helplessness and frustration,
He put his arms around the sculpture
And apologized because he could do no more.

In the night, as the sculptor slept,
He saw a girl;
He marveled at her beauty, 
But strangely enough, she could not move;
She seemed to be trapped in a shell of glass;
Almost transparent, 
He could see the image of her heart;
It too did not move, it too was encased in glass;
How sad, he thought, and sighed;

As he watched her, he thought he saw a movement;
From head to toe he saw tiny, threadlike cracks;
And the glass began to fall away;
The last to fall was from around her heart;
She stepped toward him 
With the grace and beauty of an angel
And placed a whisper of a kiss upon his lips,
As light as the wings of a butterfly;   

He awoke with a start and went to his workshop;
On the floor, a pile of shattered glass;
Looking up, a single butterfly gently touched upon his shoulder... 

By  Viki Florkowski
vikflo@urec.net 
Send Viki an email and let her know what you thought of her writing!

***
A little bit about Viki:

I live in a small town, about 35 miles NW of Columbus, Ohio.  I 
work 3rd shift in a large factory and go to school two nights 
a week (I graduate in March and take the Medical Board Exam in June).
  I began writing about 20+years ago and never compiled anything 
until last year.  A friend of mine, Corky Ferguson, who also writes 
for your site, told me that all my writing is of no value unless 
someone reads it.  It is my hope that those who read my words will 
in some way benefit from them.  I have no web site as yet...will let 
you know when that becomes a reality.


__________________________________________________


Thought For The Day:

"Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting 
a few drops on yourself."
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Verse for the Day:

"Happy are those who long to be just and good, for they shall be 
comletely satisfied."
Matthew 5:6

Kid's Thought For The day:

"Big clothes make you feel smaller."

Parent's Thought For The Day

"Babies are such a nice way to start people."
(Don Herold)

Coach's Thought For The Day

"Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain.  And most fools do."
(Dale Carnegie)

Deep Thought For The Day:

"Why do the signs that say "Slow Children" have a picture of a
running child?"


  _
/_/\/\    MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\  /    THUNDER27@aol.com   http://members.aol.com/Thunder27/index.html
/_/  \    "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
\_\/\ \   Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body I live for the Son
   \_\/   of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."  Galatians 2:20