Ribi Khaimov
ENG 1100C
Mon-Wed-Fri 335-430
Essay 1
I am stone. I am stone, for I do not break. I am stone, therefore capable of breaking
others. I am stone, unmoved and oblivious to the world. I am stone, inside and out.
Rugged features exist inside and out. Rounded and eroded by nature’s hand. Skipped
along the surface of a lake, then sink to the bottom. No matter how hard no matter how strong, I
won’t be broken. No matter how gentle, how fierce, I won’t be opened. I am stone, unaware yet
unafraid of my surroundings. I am unafraid and unaffected by the lion or king of my land.
Proud and hard, too much to soften up.
The stone inside me pumps lead through my veins. The stone around me traps the lead
within. My past and my mistakes, all branded on me through scars and scuffs, imperfections and
stains and blemishes. My beauty and intellect, prescribed through my shape and form. Nothing
but a solid interior fortified with a solid exterior. The best line of defense I have is myself, my
stone, me. Nothing allowed in, nothing allowed out. Nothing capable of breaking me down,
nothing capable of breaking me apart, nothing capable of witnessing the mechanics and structure
of this stone from within. Nothing except for one.
Lava. The only thing capable of changing me inside and out, lava. The one thing that can
turn me into another shape, another form, another texture. The one thing that I will never have a
chance against, lava. The warmest thing that can ever be inside me or around me, lava. With
lava, my list of capabilities are endless. With lava my life will change. With lava my path can be
extended. With lava change is possible. With lava love is possible. With lava feelings are
possible. With lava the earth can spin towards my convenience. Lava can bring about wondrous
things. Lava can bring about my wildest dreams. Lava, however, is capable of bringing out my
worst...