Poetry Friday: Stones

What follows in a piece of free writing that I did two weekends ago after a Hike and Write workshop. I have not yet gotten to edit but thought I would publish what ten minutes of an uninterrupted stream of consciousness writing produced. I was happy with the results. Now, to fine-tune it.  Tell me what you like best about this piece. Tell me what you don’t like at all. Thanks!

Stones

There you sit motionless, molded by time, water, and wind.

Silence surrounds you and adds to your immobility.

Multi-colored

grays,

browns,

pinks,

and yellows

sparkle in the sunlight on each surface jutting out of the ground.

Some smooth, some rough, all are cold to my hand as I reach out to feel their texture.

Hard, Solid, Immobile, Half buried in the earth beneath where you sit, forming a

man-made, irregular border around man-made objects –

a building,

a garden,

a path.

Urged by a thought I want to lift you from your

assigned spot in the border and categorize you

in order of another yet, arbitrary man-made set of features –

size,

smoothness

color,

shape.

Your silent beauty attracts my curiosity.

How long have you been here in this place?

Where were you before the spot in the border

became the place you live?

What’s hidden beneath you?

Worms?

Pill Bugs?

Stink Bugs?

Beatles?

Mold?

Lichen?

Decaying Leaves?

Cemented in place by the hand of man,

only to move again when he desires.

Stones –

Granite

Quartz

Shale

All beautiful, all unique.

All stuck in place unless they get a chance to once again be moved –

By Man,

By Woman,

By Wind,

By Rain,

By Chaos in our Environment.

Stones.

Still as you are, as only you can be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17 responses to “Poetry Friday: Stones”

  1. jama Avatar

    I like the calm, reflective tone and your use of parallel structure. The listing of words creates good rhythm and movement.

    Like

  2. lindabaie Avatar
    lindabaie

    I like the poem of address, Carol, the voice of wondering. And I love the idea of the silence surrounding them adds to the immobility, interesting idea, as is that of man’s arbitrary features. All those questions of a single object create interest for the reader, too. Terrific that it came from ten minutes of “being”! I have one question that feels like a contradiction, but perhaps not. If they are cemented in place, how can all those things be underneath? I know deep down they can be, but it feels as if it would be more possible if it was a rock path without cement.

    Like

    1. theapplesinmyorchard Avatar

      Thanks, much! You’ve made a great point and I will certainly give it serious thought as I start to edit! Thanks for your thoughtful comments!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Linda Mitchell Avatar
    Linda Mitchell

    Beautiful. I like how this free write meanders and how the poet addresses the rocks as beings that might have answers or thoughts on the subject of themselves. And, I love the idea of Chaos as a character…reminds me of the myths.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. theapplesinmyorchard Avatar

      Thank you! Your thoughts are important! Thanks for sharing them with me!

      Like

  4. Alice Nine Avatar
    Alice Nine

    I think your form, a list poem, works well to set the tone of slow methodically wonderings about motionless rocks. Take away lines: “Cemented in place by the hand of man, / only to move again when he desires.” That made gave me a different lens to use when thinking about the idiom “solid as a rock.” I’m thinking about Linda’s point about cement and things beneath the rock… Could it be that the rocks on the bottom layer of the wall aren’t set in a foundation? Perhaps they are placed on the ground and the cement is dabbed between them and the rocks place above them to help keep all in place. That’s what I envisioned as I read through your description.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. theapplesinmyorchard Avatar

      Thanks, Alice! You offered me some great insight to what readers might think! Much Appreciated!

      Liked by 1 person

  5. maryleehahn Avatar
    maryleehahn

    You should take some of these observations and make a poem for the TLD challenge!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. theapplesinmyorchard Avatar

      Thanks! What is the TLD challenge? Tell me more!

      Like

  6. cvarsalona Avatar

    Carol,
    Glow Statement:
    I like that you mindfully used 10 minutes to stay with your topic. Introducing immobility in the beginning set up the poem to focus on the stillness all around.
    Grow Statement:
    The introduction of Chaos makes me think: “Should there be another thought connected to it that disrupts the narrator’s reflective moments?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. theapplesinmyorchard Avatar

      Awesome way to give constructive comments! Thanks so much! It’s interesting that two different readers commented about chaos. I will definitely give your comment about chaos some consideration when I edit!

      Like

  7. Kay Mcgriff Avatar
    Kay Mcgriff

    First, I love the idea of hike and write! I enjoyed the combination of specific description (sparkle in the sunlight, jutting from the ground and the lists) and thoughtful reflection. I’m intrigued by the contrast of of the stone’s immobility with being moved for humanity’s whims.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. theapplesinmyorchard Avatar

      The idea for hike and write was a good one. I was very sad it was not better attended.

      Like

    2. theapplesinmyorchard Avatar

      Thanks for your kind words and comments!

      Like

  8. cweichel Avatar

    I love that you have captured the timelessness of stones. Why should they pay us any mind when we are nothing more than a moment in their life cycle?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. theapplesinmyorchard Avatar

      Ha! Your statement is so true, so true! I’ll have to remember it when I edit! Is that okay? 🙂

      Like

  9. […] off at the beautiful vistas (and we do have some here that are hard to ignore).  I wrote about a stone I saw in the garden.  It was a very valuable experience – one that I wish more people had […]

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I’m Carol

Welcome to my space, where I’ve been blogging since February 2017.

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Publicatons

An Anthology of Ekphrastic Nature Poetry with twenty-five authors from four countries. Featuring the poets’ color photography and a variety of poem types. Written for middle-grade students, their teachers, and homeschooled students. Published in 2024 by Northern Loon Press.
My chapbook of poetry (2022) is available on Amazon.