Most of his body is lost
except for parts of a leg,
a foot, some toes. Her head’s
turned slightly left,
still centered
on the place where he
climbed up on her knee
to bless the animals.
Empty now as her womb,
the small hole drilled
in her chest
for a gem or a relic
encased in crystal.
Look long enough
at the remains
of this little ivory
masterpiece
and you may see
beyond the tender smile
of the round-faced
young girl, beyond
her right arm
split off at the elbow,
the ghost of a pieta.