The Inside Out

In sculpture class
     I learned when
considering
     additive processes
          you have to
think and work from
     the inside out.
Do not, under
     any circumstances,
          start with skin,
do not succumb
     to the allure
of smooth, sexy
     skin that fools
          the eye,
deceives the mind
     for a moment.
It is fleeting,
     it will not satisfy,
          will not endure.

I will not suffer
     dilettantes
was our instructor’s
     constant refrain,
          our mantra.
Your skeleton
     is your framework,
lay in the bones,
     the muscles,
          the soft tissues.
Roll small bits of clay
     to shape the bones
with flared ends,
     pressing each into
          its proper place.

Put in the work,
     understand what
happens inside,
     how it relates,
          how it supports

form. Feeling without
      form is fleeting.
Impressionism,
     as a movement,
          had a very short life.

Postscript:
I’ve relied on our instructor’s refrain at various times
throughout my life . . . without ever telling anyone
about the dent I put in the sole of my figure’s
otherwise anatomically correct left foot.