A dozen sculptors have reclaimed
a corner of an abandoned quarry—
dragonflies and swallows fly over,
while other creatures emerge from marble.
Out of stone come a heron and an owl,
a white whale, two ballet dancers,
bas relief ducks and nesting loons.
At night the quarry is eerily quiet,
an owl perches atop a rusting crane,
her hoots echo off walls
of abandoned stone sheds with shattered windows.
Then each morning, under tents and tarps,
carbide chisels and diamond blades squeal,
as mallard ducks take flight on marble wings,
dancers leap from stone,
white slippers barely touching the ground.
