Statue of a Woman by Mariah Ghant

“Statue of a Woman” 

sculptor unknown 

who questions if you 

  are a woman? it exists in far 

  more than your body your clothes 

     your sandals. the strong hip and marble 

  fingers are not what make you a  

   woman I could give you a pedicure but 

   you’d still be headless heedless losing your 

     grip (or releasing your hold) on something in  

  your left hand is it a recipe or your  

   son’s ashes. I stand tiptoed to look you in the  

   eye trying to replace what is missing with my 

    own face of fears but am I always doing that 

filling in the blanks and blanking out 

   always missing like your lost sculptor? 

     you are a woman because the muses spoke 

   it into existence molded you from 

    the same goo as David a better 

     draft pulled from His ribcage. 

Mariah Ghant (she/her) is a Black woman artist based out of Philly. An alumnus of Vassar College, she studied Drama and English focusing on Acting and Poetry Writing. Mariah’s work has been featured in three print publications with Z Publishing, as well as online with Distance Yearning, Lucky Jefferson, and Passengers Journal. In her everyday life, Mariah enjoys creating and teaching art across various genres including theatre, writing, dance, and movement. Forever fantasizing on the phenomenal, Mariah’s writing explores relationships, identity, and the cosmos. To see more of her work, you can visit her poetry Instagram @mariah.g.poetry.

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