The grand and opulent curve –
the tusk from a beast long gone;
now observed held firm,
upon its dark, exotic wooden base.

At first glance, the surface appears merely uneven;
but a better view reveals the intricate drama –

Convolution of tiny figures,
a great crowd of them,
in all postures of threat and submission,
of dance, ritual, and celebration –

Myth and legend of the Orient:
faces from the carver’s village and family;
of his schooldays . . . and of his dreams;
transposed into their own world,
where the torn and broken . . .
are healed and beautiful.

The making of a jewel endless as Art itself;
which in its painstaking creation,
thousands of …