Arianna

Hope against hope,

He releases a form from the stone

Deft hands shaping

The curve of her lips and the flow of her hair

"Arianna I shall call you," he whispers softly --

With chisel he frees her:

His heart's desire from lifeless granite

"Ahh," he cries,

"I've suffered alone.

With just my work to give me life

Far too long,

But now I see --

The Muse's final gift shall be my wife."

Time after time

Metal kisses stone

Tired lungs breathe in

The dust of her birth, and his eyes shed a tear

"Arianna, I grow weary;

My vision grows dimmer,

My hammer grows heavy

But I shall not rest till you stand before me"

Soon at last

The long work is done:

The greatest test of his long life

"The pain," he cries,

"Shall now bear fruit;

The Muse's final gift shall be my wife."

"All I ever wanted

Was to bring one thing of true beauty into this world...

Over strange paths

I have travelled in my search

To find the magic

That could turn an icy heart of stone to flesh...

FLESH!"

(The Sorcerer speaks...)

"Call upon life and death and magic:

Call upon all the powers in me

All for the stone named Arianna --

Life from the rock shall now break free..."

And as the last arcane words are chanted

A bolt of lightning leaves his hand

And in an orange acrid smoke

A human figure stands!

"In beauty -- incomparable:

In kindness -- unsurpassed.

In gentleness and wisdom,

Arianna has been blessed.

Why then in her company

Do I feel so all alone?

I've made the perfect woman --

Except she has no soul.

She doesn't truly love me

For she hasn't a free will.

She's an animated golem --

Her heart beats and yet is still."

All this the Sculptor realized

As they danced in the cold moonlight,

And a tear fell from his eye --

And touched her cheek...

Arianna pulls away,

Comprehension in her eyes.

Feeling the searing pain of life

On her cheek for the first time

She embraces the man tightly

As she embraces life itself

Then she looks him in the eye and says "Sculptor--

I'm my own woman now!"

And how the image burned itself

Deep into his mind

As she turned on the horizon

To look at him one last time

"I love you deeply," she had said,

"and thank you for my life

But there's a world out there for me

I feel its call within me

And into that world I must go."

Then an angel bathed in light,

So bright his eyes fill with tears

Comes to stand before him now --

He looks upon her without fear

"Muse," he cries, "I've failed my life."

In his despair -- but she just smiles

"No," she laughs, "the circle is closed --

Arianna is our child!

Take my hand -- leave pain behind.

For now your work is done..."

...why, all of Longview is stirring with gossip. Who was she? Why did you never tell me about her? And more importantly, where has she gone? It seemed that one day you were alone, the next you appear in town with a beautiful wife half your age, and the next you are alone again. What has happened? You grow strange these days and I can't help but wonder if.....Ah! I'll not say it. Times are bad enough...