The Stone Cutter

The Stone Cutter

July 24, 2024

The war waged for generations

Soldiers went to fight

Soldiers went to die

METHEW chiseled their names in marble

Solely for posterity

METIN, METHEW’s son, took to his profession

Wielding the tools of the trade

Taking his time

He learned the art of stone cutting

He learned the consequence of the craft

When METIN reached the age of manhood

METHEW’s name was called for war

This day was not unexpected

METHEW had made all the arrangements

METIN accepted his new duty

As the days became months

And the months became years

Few remembered METHEW by sight

Fewer still, by skill

METHEW became a story of days long since past

One day, a messenger arrived

Today, with just one card of condolences

Only one name appeared on the card

Written in ink, in a font

Of preposterously curved letters

For the eulogy

METIN carved METHEW’s name

As all great names should appear

In capital letters

With harsh angles and straight lines

METIN’s son, MEFAN, wept at the service

It wasn’t derived from respect for his grandfather

It was derived from knowledge of a cycle

In which METIN gave MEFAN his first chisel

And the time in which to become proficient