LAKE MICHIGAN ROCK

Mineral striations

of green, red and brown
compressed into a sleek shape

minding its own business

since the Precambrian Era

present for the movement of glaciers

across the landscape

unknown to me

until twenty summers ago

when I pocketed

that formation
of history and art

and took it home
to hold
as a paperweight.

Reviews

[W.k.kortas]

The juxtaposition of the sweep of geologic time with the transient nature of paper and paperweights is nicely done. The piece is spare in the good sense--there's no unnecessary literary bric-a-brac to muddle things here; it's crisp and cleanly executed stuff.

[rutherford]

Thanks for the kind works and insightful comments. My strong tendency is to be minimalist with poems.

[Pryde Foltz]

You hold eons in your hand. Mind blowing when you think about it.

[rutherford]

Thanks Pryde--I missed this one. (I've been very in active on WC lately and also need to give back on reviews)

[Michael G. Smith]

So you have a 3-D poem sitting on your desk? This brought back memories of my childhood climbing the discarded sidewalk slabs and cliffs on the Lake Michigan beach in Milwaukee.

[rutherford]

Thanks Michael. I have a large dish of them. I especially liked the shape of this one.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

and what a great paperweight...and one that could hold the paper this poem is written upon...time makes certain striations so pretty...representative of a time so long ago...a priceless representation...and i am sure it didn't mind you taking one for the paperweight.

[rutherford]

thanks jacob. i love holding this rock. very pleasing shape.