where it came from -
this round erosion of handed rock,
how many falls gave you
these timeless scratches.
whose bones condensed,
packed hard under the tread of
a thousand feet ago.
you are distinguished,
like an animal, by your stripes.
but what ancient spring left these patterns.
how do soft waves of water leave such lasting marks.
i hold you cool against my skin.
then drop you to your home again.
like the moon pitted against
cold blanket of night sky
to the pricks of distance stars, we lift eyes
a map of the unknown world stretching afar
covering this sphere of rock and life
that obrits aimlessly around
a dying star.
