The lines shadowed in the rock
Told a story
Thousands of years
In the making
Needing patience more than mine
To read, to understand, to know
Etched, carved, struck, ground
By glacier, lightning, ice, wind, and rain
Boulders punctuation marks
Settled in the water below
On what was once a fresh page
Molten, thrusting, flowing smooth
From the dark depths of fire
To come to a final stop
On the edge of a northern lake
Where I now sat wondering
What lessons time had graven
on that ancient stone tablet.