In a workshop filled with wondrous art,
A child wandered with eager heart.
He found a lump of misshapen clay,
And with tiny hands began to play.

He molded it with clumsy might,
Pressing, shaping, day and night.
Beside him stood a statue grand,
Carved by a master's skillful hand.

The statue gleamed with life-like grace,
Every detail, perfectly in place.
The child, with ignorance so bright,
Placed his lump beside the sight.

"I can do this all day," he said,
With foolish thoughts inside his head.
Unaware of the gulf so wide,
Between his work and art's true pride.

The master, kind and handsome, smiled,
Amused by the oblivious child.
With gentle words, he praised the boy,
While hiding his bemused joy.

A claw slipped from the master's hand,
He quickly hid it with a plan.
A monstrous foot then slid in view,
He tucked it back, hoped no one knew.

A giant tooth fell from his grin,
He caught it quick and hid his chin.
A tuft of hair, then three eyes showed,
He ducked behind an easel's load.

The child, oblivious, would soon learn,
The master's humor was not stern.
Behind some art, he hid his face,
His monstrous form, a fleeting trace.

With childish pride, he claimed his way,
"I can do this all day."
Yet all could see, except the fool,
How far he was from mast'ring the tool.

The master, with a hidden grin,
Found the child's boast quite thin.
Hiding poorly, the master played,
Amusement in the guise he made.

Yet still the child, in innocence,
Failed to see the difference.
And so he stood, with lump of clay,
Beside the statue grand display.

Unknowing that his work so slight,
Amused the monster in the night.
The master's claws and monstrous guise,
A secret from the child's eyes.

He laughed within, but kindly spoke,
Encouraging the child's hope.
For in the end, the master knew,
The child's folly was nothing new.

Penned by my hand on the 5th of Glacian, in the year 952 AF.