– Nadine Dunseith

She worked tirelessly
Only stopping for that perfect sip of tea

She revered the sculpted faces, etched in her determined face
Their presence emboldened by her delicate touch

They exuded power and strength
Rising above the city
Constructed with the hands of time,
the stolid hands of an artist

Never forgotten, memorable faces
They were once invisible, ephemeral
Not people, but objects of shame and disdain

She constructed their reality
Five faces, weathered and resilient
Visible, omniscient,
Rising above the city

They once were weeping willows,
tears drawing creases on their faces

They once stood motionless,
unable to contribute to the fabric of society

She crafted them as hawthorn trees,
sturdy and worthy of the weather beaten winter

She lifted them into the echelon of society
Into a hierarchy that challenged the voices that denied them dignity

They ascend reverently now
Represented by the soul of a generation
Of girls, women, mothers, grandmothers

Five faces, all with different shapes
But with one voice, the voice of all women
The voice of the artist who shaped them with her subtle hands

Five faces, they bequeathed her a voice
She responded in kind, an artist emulating her art

They are persons, they are women
They live, love, learn
We hear them now and until we draw our last breath

The artist ascends reverently, a woman without fear
She lives, loves, learns
We hear her now and will not forget her tribute to the five faces.

She gave women a voice, one that lifted the words
from the gleam of bronze in the sun
Into the blue sky above

One word that could escape their mouths –

Freedom