in wood

saw dust

rise.

II

This will not do.

Watch

a grain

pile

and

pile

again and again

till water

melts

and is swallowed by the ocean.

Still among the waves

the stone collector stares.

III

Lie quietly on the floor:

keep your ear to the stones

listen -

are the souls breathing?

The buildings still speak

watch

through their wide windows

glass reflecting souls

for years;

watch and walk

up the stairs, into the belfry

what of the tallness,

piled

and

piled

into structures?

What of the souls in these stones?

Still on the stairs

the stone collector stares.

IV

Do you hear

the words left behind?

Piled and piled,

silent movement of

the breath,

the dust,

the words

surrounding

the old stone creatures.

Let

me collect words in

my lap.

Stones will follow

swallow the little grains

breaking,

slipping quietly into

brown,

smooth,

sandy

words

silently kneeling.

This is not the punishment.

V

Let me collect

Let me move

out of this stillness.

This is not the punishment.

Sit and watch

the storm -

sit and watch the stones

c

o

l

l

e c

t

i

n

g.

VI

silently kneeling

hands raising

to the belfry.

Ring! Ring! all together

begging

the grains to be

all together

and chatter,

clatter up into rocks

rising into blocks

up to the sky.

Let's become stars.

Still among the stars

the stones collect

or

splatter patterns twist and turn

blanket wisps of hair

watch

the Cabochons

as the wind moves through

turns

the whisper of waves

change

words

jumbled out incoherence,

cadences

cacophones

tapping into

rain

dipping

into the ocean,

swallow

drops (chaos) down

again.

VII

A grain

counting letters

colour in prisms

covered in white -

still around the stones

the collector

sees?

Watch

this is not the punishment.

Watch

this is not where the stones lie.

This is where we atone

for the truths.

Watch

this is where the storm rests.

This is where the punishment is.

This is where the stones

collect words, whispers,

where the oracle walks,

scrolls,

faces all lives.

Look! This

is where the big rocks

took the grains,

collected water and said:

This is not the punishment

This is

sand.