Justin Glanville, Cleveland

So far, it’s just an M.

But then that, too, goes away — hidden under a plastic bag atop a plain gray platform.

From beneath the bag escapes a wisp of vapor, evidence of the dry ice underneath that’s keeping the ‘M’ from melting. So far.

You see, the letters are ice. And in today’s 80 degree weather, they aren’t expected to last long. Maybe a few hours.

“It’ll spell ‘The American Dream,’” says Aaron Costic. He owns Elegant Ice, the local company that carved the letters based on a design by Brooklyn artist Marshall Reese.

Costic started working on the letters about three weeks ago. He says he’s excited to work on a project that features the “fourth dimension” of time. And he agrees with the concept of the piece, a statement on the ephemerality of our national ideal of prosperity for all.

“The gap between the wealthy and the lower-class just keeps getting wider,” he says.

Aaron Costic, of Elegant Ice. The letters are still under wraps!

About 75 people gather on a lawn around the sculpture, their chatter rising in volume as the unveiling approaches.

There’s a countdown. “Five, four, three, two, one!”

The bags are removed, the ‘M’ returns. There it is, framed against Downtown Cleveland’s sky-piercing gray and brown towers, which might as well be shouting “Money!” In their shadows, delegates gather for the Republican National Convention.

The letters begin to drip immediately. People snap photos.

As I watch, I wonder: Is it the concept or the spectacle that’s stirring excitement? The mood overall is cheerful, chatty — not at all in keeping with the dark theme. Maybe it’s too dark to truly engage on such a beautiful blue-skied day.

It will be interesting to see if this changes as the letters melt. For now, they appear stable, whole. Times New Roman, 48 point, bold.

In a few hours, they’ll be hollowed out and dripping. Gothic or Zapf Dingbats — and perhaps looking more like question marks than letters.