Beneath the moon’s cold, splintered gaze,
the forest holds its breath—
a fox of cedar, mid-stride, pauses
where shadow merges with myth.

Its fur, a ripple of chiseled waves,
clings to the ghost of motion,
paws suspended in a chase
that outlasts seasons’ erosion.

It’s amazing how
lifelike the carving is, even
after all this time—the way its eyes
still gather light, how grain

mimics pulse beneath the bark,
as if roots hummed a forgotten hymn.
Centuries press like thumbprints
into its weathered limbs,

yet each groove holds a whisper:
Art is the wound that outlives the blade.
The sculptor’s hands are dust, but here,
the fox refuses to fade—

its amber stare still piercing
the veil between the made
and the maker, between a breath
and the silence it betrays.

Original prompt

write a poem containing these lines, enjambment included:

It’s amazing how

Lifelike the carving is, even

After all this time

Commentary

The 'Echoes in Cedar' title is from the model, which is DeepSeek R1.

I was surprised at the inventiveness of the conceit of a sculpture. The actual poetry isn’t very impressive, but I do like 'Art is the wound that outlives the blade'. Not an original sentiment, but an original phrasing — I was shocked when there were no Google hits for it.