Rendezvous

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colorado

By Steven Wade Veatch
 
Returning to the massive stone stump,
among the quaking aspens and green pines
where pasque flowers floored the forest,
I counted tree rings of stone—survivors.
 
As the birds sang and squirrels chattered,
the moment bloomed into an alchemy of time—a rendezvous
of the primal past with the afternoon’s warm present.
In a blaze of thought I wondered
what mark will I leave behind?

The “Big Stump” at the
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.
Photo by S. W. Veatch.