Reflective Introduction to ”Marble”:
ones—carveThe following piece is a poem about transformation: not by force of will, but by allowing life to leave its mark. The marble stands as a metaphor for the self: grounded, present, and open to the shaping forces of existence. Whether through love, loss, change, or revelation, the poem speaks to the quiet resilience it takes to remain still and let life’s storms —the big ones, the meaningful ones — carve form and depth into who we are. It is not about chasing experience, but receiving it fully, and letting it define us in ways we couldn’t predict.
IMAGINING MYSELF AS A PIECE OF MARBLE WAITING TO BE SHAPED BY EVENTS
Marble
I do not chase the chisel.
I wait for it to come to me.
A stillness thick with longing.
Cool marble beneath the sun.
A white slab of silent yes.
Not unfinished, but unbroken.
Let the world come.
Let the storm strike hard.
Let her hands form mine.
I’ll transform myself
Whatever the moment
dares to shape in me.
Final Reflection: Poetic Practice and Personal Journey
To conclude this assignment, I have chosen to share another poem, “Marble,” which emerged as a reflective response to my current emotional state and the significant life transitions I am experiencing. The poem speaks to a more profound sense of self: a still presence awaiting to be shaped, not passively, but with quiet strength and resolve. Marble serves as a metaphor for how life’s events, particularly those involving love, loss, and change, form and shape our identity. It is about waiting with purpose, allowing transformation to arrive organically through external forces. Therefore, I suggest not to fight the storm, but let life’s elements shape you, like a rock or a noble marble. The bigger the tempest, the deeper the marks will be, and the outcome will be profound, created by life’s chisel.
Contextual Development and Broader Creative Work
This poem is one among several that form part of my creative portfolio. Throughout Assignment 3, I have been developing a series of poetic texts and narrative fragments that explore themes of longing, displacement, inner conflict, memory, and emotional turbulence. My earlier piece, which involved the bird metaphor, for example, helped me articulate feelings of departure, vulnerability, and quiet resilience. Together with Marble, these works reflect the fluctuating states of both emotional anchoring and release.
This body of work does not emerge in isolation. I’ve drawn from a range of creative influences to help shape my practice — including Kavafi, Moniza Alvi (The She-Cell, The Unknown Girl), Nikos Kavvadias, and Xu Zhimo (Goodbye Cambridge Again). These artists and poets inspire my commitment to blending introspection with cultural resonance, fusing lyrical precision with emotional truth.
Creative Process and Personal Significance
The last few weeks have been personally and creatively intense. I’ve returned from a transformative experience abroad, faced career uncertainties, and navigated deeply personal emotional challenges. In response, writing poetry became a means to stay present, allowing me to observe, reflect, and document my evolving identity as both a creative practitioner and a person in flux.
What I have discovered through this project is that writing gives form to things that are otherwise unspoken. It allows me to honour the transient and anchor the meaningful. Marble, as a final expression for this assignment, is not an end but part of a continuum; a living archive that will continue to grow as I explore further work in Projects 4 through 7.
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