‘Stones’ and Other Poems

Stones

The stone that cried out of the wall, unheeded.
The unfinished stone from the ruined temple.

The first stone not cast at the woman, and the last.
The half-hearted stone that fell short of the martyr.

The standing stones that used to stand for something.
The stones brought home from places they fail to recall.

The stone that gave the distance but no destination.
The headstone that, wordless, lies flat in the grass.

The black stone that missed the wind-scattered crows.
The stone weight the paper threw to the winds.

The exemplary stone that sank without a skip.
The broken stone that might have outskipped the rest.

The stones unsteadily stepping into the stream.
The rolling stone fast in the hillside cairn.



Near Marcenay
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