The following poem is an ode I wrote to honor one of my heroes, sculptor Robert Bruno. Bruno sculpted the famous Steel House in Ransom Canyon, just outside of my hometown, Lubbock, Texas. Although widely considered an eccentric steel home, Bruno always regarded it as sculpture. The story of its construction, beginning in the 70s, is nothing short of extraordinary. Bruno got the idea for it while standing underneath a similar sculpture of his and posing a simple but remarkable question aloud to himself.
I was introduced to the sculpture by my father on a drive up the canyon when I was 13 years old, and, immediately, I was lost in wonder, rapt by a fascination that continues on to this day. An ode is a poem written to honor another person, the highest praise a poet can give.
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