In pencil we can erase
The lines we do not need.

But I do not want to.

I want to see it all,
Not just the illuminating lights,
Not just the resplendent sparks of delight,

I want to see the righteous defeat;
Giving everything,
And still able to believe.

We are but outlines,
Of a greater masterpiece,
Some with more marks than others;
O’ the depths of perfection.

Who could frame the lion,
After just one glance?
Rather the fierce beauty is created
Through experience,
Layer over layer, added to,
In the richness of time.

We are but Sketches.

Stephen W. Hughes, 2009