Tom Ross: The Smile in the Stone

THE SMILE IN THE STONE

Beginning you woke in a stone-carved house
you stood on a stone-cold floor
you warmed yourself by the stone fireplace
and big stones held up the door
in the window the sky passed between stones
your feet followed stones out the door
in the light the field turned over was stones
and from under the stone water poured

Within the stone you saw a face
but darkness put her down
still when you worked you knew there was
one more face to be found

Some of the stones had fish inside them
some of the fish had fish inside
some of the stones had skies inside them
and some were just stones
some of the stones had skies inside them
some of the skies had skies inside
some of the stones had birds inside them
and some were just stones

When finished you'd carved a house of stone
all stone the hand and the sun
all stone the past and the time to come
and stone the face in the moon
you showed the stone limbs of youth and age
the stone walls of heaven and hell
you showed the stone naked mother of all
but forgot what she knew in her smile

Within the stone the mother smiled
but darkness put her down
still when you worked you knew there was
one more smile to be found