A Short Primer Of Stones

stones

Granite; dark with quartz

and royal with feldspar

                        polished with stars and ghosts;

its brother marble

                        cool with drops of fountain water

                        proud with veiled eyes,

Chalk, full of dead white fish

                        and rings of old life.

Slate for a roof under Northern rain.

Jade for a buried queen

                       boned and stripped

                       free of face and arms.

A cycle of rock, mudstone cracked

or impacted like coal, b*****d gravel;

an old crag broken.

.

Reviews

[Mark]

The essence of Mother Earth described very colorfully. I enjoyed it much.

[Sami Khalil]

Good analogy. Deep philosophical write or literally appreciation for the elements of nature...Well done , sir...:)

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

This was absolutely stunning in its imagery, my friend. I'm extremely impressed with the texture of the words, and the tangible way in which you made them jump from the page; almost as though I could touch them. Then, of course, you brought it back to the "use" of the rock, which is the crux of the whole thing...rock has forged this world; it was here long before us and it will be here long after we are gone. Well done...thought provoking. I'm jealous of your talent!

[Judas Hammer]

beautiful piece......almost like a slice from a Malik film....

[jacob erin-cilberto]

there is some polished perfect stone here...and there are perfect moments in life.

but i like the allsuions to the cracked stones, b*****d gravel, chalk full of dead whitefish....rings of old life...imperfect but lived and felt nonetheless

the real stones that roll through the years...feeling and wearing...as we all do...and we all eventually erode..but that's life.

really nice allegory here, Leslie...

and i have probably said this before...but i really like your "about" comments..

i have always felt this.."it isn't the poet who is important, it is the words themselves."

and for me it is enough that readers read them.

you are always a really good read!

jacob

[An owl on the moon]

What a brilliant glimpse at a world formed of stone, polished and pure... made to last... made to beautify and lift... Each element seems to sing over the structure and give it a life all its own. Loved the depth and feel of your words.

[Rosalind Gale]

Rolling, rolling, rolling. I love your work Leslie, often so mysterious and enigmatic, yet always simple and affecting. You are someone I can relate to through their writing. You seem so humble, and this always comes through in your poems, to me at any rate. Thanks you for this piece.
-x-

[Pete Langley]

....or perhaps waiting for recycling at another epoch? I love the baldness of the piece. P.

[Rita L. Sev]

A science lesson, and a philosophy lesson, beautifully written in this poem.

[David Scott]

We are connected to the dirt. Some people believe we were formed from it...
I love you use of rocks, minerals, and gems relating to personalities and human conditions.
A long shared love of mine as well.
My don and I spent hours reading every single description and caption in the museum of Natural Science in DC's Smithsonian... Fascinating!