character development

extracted from the quarry

soapstones, alabasters, limestones &

marbles,

all products of someone else’s choices

culminating in our

accidental, uneventful, mistake of

birth---

the silky faces begin without blemish &

through the early youth begin to gain

the scars of early adolescence,

the teasing at school, the fistfights, the

pulling of hair, the catfights, the ridicule &

flat out insults which end up forming the

base of the cast---

if at home the insults continue, beating ensues,

psychological abuse, religious oppression &/or

just plain old ignorance of the child

takes place,

then the digging carving knife makes its way in---

by the time the carving has

developed into something recognizable

as a full fledged adult,

its character is so warped

that one cannot look it in its

whittled out eyes.