Maine Stone

by Gary Lawless

I
Echo
(Jay white granite)

Before language, there was granite.
In granite, the echo of all things —
rock wraps around, re-sounds,
echo of sunlight
echo of starlight
echoes of all
the rock has heard —
a larger sound than we can know,
found below —
granite wraps around me I
rest in the rock my
grandfather worked in the quarries —
Mosquito Mountain, Mount Waldo —
granite time is slow, slow time —
in granite time, my grandfather is
just leaving.
I can almost hear his voice,
echoing.

II
Wave
(Freeport stone)

Granite was once liquid, and moving.
You can see the flow lines, currents
in the living rock,
wave and flow, the
grain within,
interstitial.

Everything rises from rock,
granite in waves, flowing —
I find myself touching
granite, asking
who are you,
where are you from —
Frankfort, Prospect,
Stonington, Vinalhaven,
Freeport, Jay —
I’m saying hello to
whole mountains moving —
I’m waving back
into the rock.