Leigh Gorelik
the statue
she awakens.
her ballerina toes are poised, her nose is scrunched –
she is – what’s the word – alive.
her powder fingertips crease mechanically like a hydraulic press.
she has a beating chest with the calibration of cast iron.
her feet can climb Mount Olympus and higher.
she is limber.
she is – what’s the word – living.
her name is –
her skin has the swirl of a gleaming cantilever.
her head teeters.
she is speechless.
her lips are soft, her hands touch her face like it is a monument,
like she is a strawman.
is she a –
her spine has a curve, she can bend into geometric shapes, her arms are straight
but they encircle her.
galatea.
he whispers her name to her.
or maybe he names her.
she can choose a name herself, maybe.
she is – what’s the word – a woman.
her hair can swim through the air, her curls have strands that brush her cheeks
and her cheeks can color in the blank space left behind
by words.
galatea, she whispers.
her tongue clambers in her mouth, for some purchase,
for some worthy noise.
she searches herself for a – what’s the word – idea.
you are mine, galatea, he says. i made you.
do not be afraid. i will bathe you, dress you, anoint you.
i will worship you, and i will save you.
he caresses her hand.
her palms are dry as sandpaper.
she is – what’s the word –
her eyes have the shutter frequency of a lens.
she bends.
she is awake.
she does not remember a before.
she does not remember a maker.
she hasn’t yet made any mistakes.
her name is galatea
but she is no longer milk white.
he says, you are my wife.
she says, i am alive.
he says, i gave you life.
she says, yes, you are right.
you gave me life,
and i won’t return it
because you gave it,
because it’s mine.
_______________
Leigh Gorelik is a writer and poet living in Arizona, currently working on her Ph.D. in Engineering. She has received a Silver Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future contest and was longlisted in the CWA’s annual Margery Allingham competition. When not writing fantasy or scientific papers, she enjoys traveling and crafting custom Lego sets.
Author’s Backstory: ‘the statue’ is my reframing of the Greek myth of Pygmalion from Galatea’s perspective. It was born from my fascination with what Galatea would have experienced as she awakened, the primal shock of an abrupt entry into her own body and the world around her. To me, it was very interesting to explore her journey into awareness through the lens of machine-like imagery ebbing into warmer description – an inanimate object gaining life, understanding, and agency, all in very quick succession. I end the poem with her defiant act of self-liberation. She was made by Pygmalion’s hand, but as soon as she is awakened, she is now no longer his creation, but rather – her own
Editor’s Comments and Image Credit: In Greek mythology, Galatea (Ancient Greek: Γαλάτεια; “she who is milk-white”) was the name of the statue of a woman created by Pygmalion and brought to life by Aphrodite. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galatea_(Greek_myth). Image Credit: “Galatea, the statue of a woman created by Pygmalion, changes to a cyborg of stone and machine” was the input (wixel/Wix.com). (On a reverse Google search, there were similar images on Artstation; however, their participating artists can make their declared AI-generated art, as well as their human-made art, available to AI training models, so there’s no apparent infringement by anyone.)