Blue, green, pink, peach, white
rectangular blocks of clay
sitting on your desk
beckoning to come alive.

It’s silent and dark,
the spotlight
is on you
as you peel back
the plastic
and knead the clay
over and over
in your palms
until the clay is soft
and your fingers hurt.

Slowly you shape
the legs, mold the torso,
add the shoes,
check the size,
make sure you’re satisfied.

Add the chest, mold the arms,
ensure it stands upright,
mix some pink, mix some white,
mix some yellow too,
now you have a skin-like peach
that works, that works for you.

Work your fingers, mold the face,
shape the nose, the ears, the eyes,
envision what you had envisioned
in your mind.

Take it, bake it, make it
come to life.  Draw the eyes,
add a smile, dot some hair,
add a spring, he’ll bobble,
glad to be here, glad to be alive.