Stone sledge
drag the mountain
to the village,
what is a henge,
a kope uplifted
to surround a mystery
suddenly when
you’re in it utterly known.
Sunrise and evening star
because we are,
and are of their nature
as any stone can tell you,
the bigger the louder,
always stand in the center.

2.
Or in your backyard
a dial of pebbles
will sing the same song
you just have to
listen harder.
A snail sails under a leaf
fast enough for this still sea.

3.
At a certain point in life
you have to make everything up yourself
before the extern certainties
swarm back in—
a day without a book or a device,
you’re all alone with the swaying
seductive dances of your guesses.
Does x really imply
a history of y?
And is B true daughter of A?
Nobody knows,
so you must be Nobody now
and declare all by myself
all the roots and branches.

4.
Stand by the stone and say
Stone, stand by me.
Lean on it if it lets you
and confess:
I am not Nobody
but I am Nobody’s father
and I leave this grotto to my son.

5.
The stone will laugh
a little at that
the way they do—
you can feel it in your fingertips.
Or pick the pebble up
and bring it everywhere.

22 February 2021